The Secret To Forever
by She-Loved-Too-Easily
Summary: Bella knows that vampires aren’t a myth, and she's desperate to find them. She is terrified of getting old and dying so she's looking for immortality, but on the way she discovers that there is something much more important than eternal life. BxE Rated T
1. Prologue: Seven Years Ago

_Hey everyone! :D_

_It's me again. xD Am I starting to annoy you guys, yet? xD Okay, new story, I don't have much to say, other than: Enjoy!_

_Oh, and of course, the highly important disclaimer, because god forbid that people actually start to think that I'm Stephenie Meyer. ^^"_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, the characters aren't mine and they belong to Stephenie Meyer, yada yada yada…**

_Yeah… I think we all get the point. _

_Alright, here we go again, have fun!_

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**Prologue: Seven Years Ago**

I was wandering around in Charlie's backyard. The lawn was slushy, and my boots made a weird, sucking noise every time I lifted my feet out of the wet grass. I hated Forks, but my mom had forced me to spend my summer vacation here, she insisted that I needed some quality time with my dad. Seeing as I was only ten years old, I didn't really have a say in the matter, and it annoyed me to no end.

If I were with my mother at this moment, in Phoenix, sun would be guaranteed. But no, not in good old Forks, it was raining here most of the time. I had bugged my dad over and over again, telling him that I was bored, and he had suggested that I should go outside, to get some fresh air. What he had actually meant was; I'm watching the game Bella, please entertain yourself for a few hours.

And here I was, sulking in the backyard. The backyard that was as boring as the rest of this small, foggy town. I stared at the forest that started where the swampy, green lawn ended, and decided that I would go for a short walk. Charlie always warned me, of course. There were bears in the forest, according to him, and he didn't want me to explore the place on my own. But a short walk along the trail wouldn't be a problem, right? At least, as long as I didn't tell him about it...

I shrugged and headed for the forest, taking the small trail that was snaking between the huge, green trees, most of them completely covered in moss.

I kept up a steady pace, and after a while it started to get more and more quiet. Not the relaxing kind of quiet, but the _spooky_ kind of quiet. My heart was gradually speeding up, and I tried to calm myself.

"Nothing to worry about… nothing weird here, just a peaceful forest." I mumbled.

Yeah right, who was I kidding? I was starting to get the creeps and I swiftly turned around. The boring lawn might not be as exciting as this, but at the moment, it was definitely preferable. I considered running, but with me being my clumsy self, it would most likely result in me tripping over something and crashing to the ground.

I started walking at a fast pace, when I suddenly came to a stop. I heard the rustling of leaves and turned my head in the direction where the sound came from. Please not a bear… or a wolf… or a mountain lion… or god knows what else could be hiding in this creepy forest.

The snapping of a branch pulled me out of my musings, and I jumped up.

"Hello?" I called, my voice shaking a little. "Is anybody there?"

I didn't expect an answer, wild animals weren't really talkers, so it startled me when a response came from right behind me.

"Hello, little girl." The voice was a high woman's voice, almost girly.

I turned around instantly, and gasped when I saw a beautiful woman with long, curly red hair standing in the middle of the trail. The clothes she wore were dirty and messed up, but her face was flawless, almost inhumanly beautiful.

"Oh… hello, I didn't expect someone to be here." I muttered, letting out a shaky laugh of relief.

"Of course you didn't." Her voice was sweet, almost a little _too_ sweet. It sounded unnatural, and I started to feel uneasy again. "What are you doing here, all by yourself?" She asked, her lips turning up into a smile. It wasn't a genuine smile, though, I didn't know what to think of it.

"Going for a… walk." I whispered my response.

The woman smirked, her face triumphant. And then I noticed the color of her eyes for the first time. They were red, blood red. I let out a small shriek, and the woman raised her eyebrows.

"Well, little girl, I'm glad I bumped into you… I _am_ kind of hungry, so this is a pleasant surprise." She said, her voice was lower now, and I slowly took a few steps back.

She was hungry? And her words had made it pretty clear that_ I_ was on today's menu. This couldn't be happening. "What are you?" I blurted out.

She laughed, it was a high, hard laugh that made me shiver. "Since you won't be able to tell anyone after I'm finished with you, I guess I might as well tell you. I'm a vampire. Didn't see that one coming, did you?" She laughed again, as if she had just told some amusing joke.

"Va-vampire?" I stuttered.

She nodded. "That's right. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to end this conversation, I truly am starving." She added in a light tone, as if she wasn't about to end my life.

"Please… don't." I begged.

"I'm sorry, human girl. Oh, wait… No I'm not." She said indifferently, crouching before me in a movement so fast that my eyes had missed it.

I screamed in panic, and did another step back even though I knew that it was useless; she was a hundred times faster than me. She growled and was preparing to launch herself at me, and I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain that would surely be inevitable.

But it never came. I heard another growling sound, and I assumed that we had gotten company from a bear, who was willing to fight with her in order for me to become _his_ meal. But when I opened my eyes, I saw that a beautiful boy had joined her. I wanted to scream again at the thought of two vampires, but to my relief I noticed that his eyes didn't have that scary, red color. They were a light, ocher color, still unusual, but not scary. His hair was messy and had a shade of bronze, and his face looked pained but not unfriendly.

He crouched in front of the woman, as if he was about to attack her. It made me confused, did he think that he would stand a chance against her, against a _vampire_? I squeaked in surprise when he suddenly launched himself at her in an inhumanly fast movement, and she flew back into a tree.

Uh oh… no red eyes, but definitely also a vampire. The question wasn't _if_ I was going to become the meal, the question was _who's_ meal I would become... The woman looked dazed for a moment before she hissed and tried to get up. The boy took the opportunity to turn and look at me, his brows furrowed.

"What are you still doing here? Run!" He yelled at me. It was loud, but his voice still sounded sort of musical.

My jaw dropped and I just stared at him. Run? Did he prefer to chase his food?

"Go!" He said, before the woman jumped at him again.

I frowned as I realized that he wasn't interested in chasing his food… he was trying to _save me_. My feet felt heavy, but I managed to detach them from the damp forest floor, and I turned away from the awful scene, running as fast as I could without falling down. I kept running and running, trying not to think about what I was running from, and it seemed like the green forest would never end. When finally Charlie's lawn came in to sight, I sighed in relief. I had made it, no tasty human girl for the vampires today!

I ran up to the house and slammed the back door shut once I was safely inside.

"Bells?" My dad called from the living room.

"Yeah dad, it's me." I replied while I took off my boots and coat, still panting heavily.

"What did you do?" He asked, clearly suspicious.

"Oh nothing, just… running around in the backyard." I said in a mock cheerful tone as I walked into the small living room, my heart still beating frantically.

"Right." Charlie grumbled, but to my relief he turned his attention back to the television. "Are you still bored?" He asked in an offhand tone.

"Nope… I think I'll… watch the game with you." I answered, curling up in one of the large chairs, feverishly keeping my eyes on the television the entire time.

Charlie threw me another suspicious look, but I kept staring blankly at the screen and he gave up, which gave me some time to contemplate.

What on earth had just happened? Vampires? Had I been hallucinating? No, my mind could never conjure up something so… real. But vampires… they only existed in books, right? They weren't real… they couldn't be. Although everything I had witnessed in the forest had seemed very real... Did this mean that there was more to the world than most people were aware of? Unless I was completely losing my mind, there had to be… And why did the boy save me, if he was also a vampire? Did that mean that there was such a thing as… _good vampires_?

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_Thank you for reading the prologue, the first chapter will be up tomorrow! _


	2. Hide And Seek

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you so much for reviewing;_ **Jm1708, AutumnOtts, Gnomegirl13**, **J5girl31012 **_and_** Renalrocks! **_You guys make my day. :) _

_To Gnomegirl13: Thanks for mentioning the typo, typos are still my specialty. :') And no, you're not annoying me, I love your reviews. xD About the daily updates; let me put it this way, the first two weeks, daily updates will be guaranteed. After that we'll see how it goes. xD_

_Okay people, here's the first chapter, let me know what you think! :)_

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**Hide And Seek**

_Seven years later…_

"Hello vampires! Come out, come out wherever you are!" My mocking voice echoed through the forest, as I stared into nothing but darkness.

"Really, Bells, this is just silly…"

"Ouch, you stepped on my foot, Jake! Will you watch where you're going." I complained, before continuing to walk, trying to avoid the branches and tree roots that were complicating our little hiking trip.

"Yeah, that's the thing with wandering around in a forest at night, it's sort of impossible to see where you're going." Jacob argued, easily keeping up with my pace. "And honestly, this is weird!" He added.

I smacked his arm and glared at him. "As my best friend, it is your duty to be supportive."

"I've been nothing but supportive! But seriously, why do you keep going on these wacky searches in the middle of the night, looking for mythical creatures that don't even exist?" He demanded.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, even though he couldn't see it. "I've told you, I just want to know that I didn't make the whole thing up. That I'm not losing my sanity." That was partly true.

"It happened seven years ago, Bella... So maybe you had an overactive imagination as a kid, nothing to worry about… But that's not it, is it?" He pried.

Of course Jake wouldn't buy my excuse, he knew me well enough by now. A few years ago I had moved to Forks to live with my dad, because my mom got remarried, and after that it didn't take long for me and Jacob to become close friends. He was the son of Charlie's friend, Billy, and that's how we had first met each other. He could read me like a book, and at times it could be annoying, not being able to keep things from him.

That was the reason why I had told him what I'd seen that day in the forest, more than seven years ago. I just had to share it with someone, and Jake hadn't even laughed, the day I'd told him. He was the only person that I had ever told, and even though I wasn't a hundred percent sure that he truly believed me, he did help me with most of my attempts to find the magical creatures that I was sure were hiding somewhere in this forest.

"You know what, Jake? Forget it." I muttered, hoping that he would let it go.

"No, not this time. You can tell me… what's going on with you?" Jacob's voice sounded almost pleading now, I think he was worried. And he had every right to be, if only he knew what was going on inside my twisted brain…

"Fine! You really want to know? " I blurted out, coming to a sudden stop.

"Yes!" He replied immediately as he turned around to face me.

We silently stood there for a few seconds, while I deliberated. I wasn't sure how I was going to explain this to him, without sounding like a lunatic.

"Alright… do you ever think about… dying?" I finally asked him in a low voice.

"Ehm… sometimes I guess… it's a part of life." Jake simply stated.

"Yes it is, and let me put it this way, it's a part that I would like to skip, thank you very much." I informed him.

I pointed my flashlight at him to see his reaction, and his eyes widened in disbelief. "You're looking for vampires because you want to become one yourself?" He asked, slightly shocked.

I shrugged. "Not that I particularly want to be a vampire, but at least it's a good option, they're supposed to be immortal… Imagine it Jake, never dying."

"That's not natural Bells… everybody dies, that's how life goes."

"Oh, don't give me that crap! Is that what you think? Everybody does it, so it can't be that bad?" I challenged him. "Don't you think that it's a bit scary, simply ceasing to exist?"

"Wow… you know, most people don't even think about stuff like this until they turn at least fifty." Jacob replied.

"Maybe… but it doesn't change anything, why wait until I'm fifty? Every stinking day, we get older Jake. We're already dying, every day we're getting closer to death. In a few months I'll turn eighteen, the horror!"

Jacob frowned and slowly shook his head."I don't know but maybe… you need a shrink to get rid of that problem. Going on some wild vampire-chase through the forest at night isn't the solution…" He sounded truly concerned. "Vampires are just a myth, Bella."

"A shrink?" I exclaimed, getting a little angry. "What are you suggesting, that I am insane? I saw them! I swear I did. Besides, who was it, telling me about the Quileute legends that included vampires?" I reminded him.

"Exactly, legends. That's not reality."

"Well the legends have to come from somewhere. That, and the fact that I saw them with my own eyes." I said stubbornly.

We glared at each other in silence for a while until Jacob broke it.

"Fine. So let's say, purely hypothetical, that they _do _exist. And let's say that we came across one… Don't you suppose that we're going to be dead meat before you even have a chance to ask anything? And other than that, would you like to be a monster like that, yourself?" He stated smugly, relentlessly pointing out all the flaws in my plan.

"It doesn't have to be that way… Sure, that woman, she was evil. But I don't think they all are, I told you about the boy, he was the one who saved me. So perhaps there are… good vampires. They could be open to negotiation, and I could also become a good vampire, not a monster." I defended myself.

"And there is the boy again, when are the two of you getting married?" Jacob groaned tiredly, probably sick of the fact that I had brought up the mysterious boy several times since I'd told him about my encounter with the vampires.

"Are you jealous? Oh come on, Jake, I don't even know him, I saw him once. He just saved my life! Is it so weird that I'm thankful?"

"I guess you would've been even more thankful if he had bitten you and turned you into one of them, huh?" He said in a sour tone.

"Yes, that truly would've made my day." I spat at him in a sarcastic tone.

"Isn't that just great, my best friend wishes to be a bloodsucking monster."

"That's it! I'm leaving!" I huffed, turning around and swiftly walking away.

"Then that makes two of us, since I'm only here to _help you_!" Jacob called after me.

I sighed and slowed my pace, mumbling an apology at him. "I'm sorry, Jake… That wasn't nice of me… I know you're only trying to help me. Thanks for putting up with all my crap."

"You're welcome, that's what friends do, they put up with each other's crap." He was walking right next to me again, and we made our way out of the forest, following the small spots of light that our flashlights were projecting on the muddy forest floor.

xxx

"I'm home!" I yelled in the general direction of the living room when I closed the front door behind me.

I heard the sound of the television, so I assumed that Charlie was still up.

"You're late." He grumbled as I hesitantly stepped into the living room.

By the sound of his voice I guessed that he had been sleeping on the couch. He had probably stayed up to wait for me, making sure that I was alright. You could say a lot of things about Charlie, but he truly cared about me. Sometimes he could be a bit overprotective, but maybe it had something to do with him being the Chief of Police in the small town of Forks.

"Sorry, I was hanging out with Jake, we forgot about the time." I muttered, feeling a little guilty.

"Fine, but next time when it's a school night, I expect you to be home somewhere _before_ one in the morning." He warned me.

"Sure sure. Goodnight dad."

"Night, kiddo." He replied.

I took off to my room, and I changed into a pair of sweatpants and an old t-shirt. I skipped to the bathroom to brush my teeth, before I returned to my room. I fell down onto my old bed, and then something caught my attention. My window wasn't closed.

I frowned, I was sure that I hadn't opened it in ages. Forks wasn't the kind of place where you voluntarily opened a window, unless you wanted to freeze to death. It was only opened slightly, a few inches. I swiftly looked around my small room to see if something was missing, but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. Not that there was anything valuable in my room, my CD player was sadly outdated, and my old computer was a pain in the ass. Nobody would ever steal that thing, not even if I _paid_ someone to do it.

I got up again and yelled downstairs to Charlie. "Dad? Did you open my window to let in some fresh air?"

"No Bells, I haven't been in your room." He called back. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine… Good night."

I slowly made my way back into my room and walked up to the window, closing it with a loud smack. Weird… but maybe I had opened it this morning without thinking.

I went back to bed, crawling under the covers and falling back against the pillows in an attempt to get some sleep. My body was feeling tired, but my brain was still working overtime, and I tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

A part of me regretted telling Jacob about my real motivation behind the vampire-searches, but on the other hand, he had a right to know. He was so understanding and supportive all the time... And what if Jake was right, what if I was insane? It was sort of sick, and I was fully aware of that. But becoming a vampire beats dying, right?

I didn't know why, but ever since I was kid, that had been my only big fear; dying. A small part of me knew that it was stupid, everyone died eventually. It was inevitable, a part of life, as Jacob had put it. I think it was the idea of ceasing to exist, the idea of falling into a black hole of nothing… Or Jake was right and I was losing my mind, going insane… Either way, it didn't matter, I'd found a possibility to cheat my way out of death, and I wasn't going to stop until I had accomplished my mission.

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_Thank you for reading, a new chapter will be up tomorrow! :)_


	3. Camping Trip

_Hey there! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing;_ **Lizzy, Jm1708, Lil miss bella cullen, AutumnOtts, Porcelain-Shadow **_and_ **Gnomegirl13!**_ :D *Hugs all her reviewers*_

_To Jm1708: Lol, yes, only I know. :p Of course, it will be mentioned in the story, but not until much later. Chapter twelve, to be exact. xD_

_To AutumnOtts: Yay, more stars! :D Thanks. xD_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Like I said, it will be mentioned later in the story. xD_

_To Gnomegirl13: Yes! I'm totally excited about the New Moon movie, from what I've seen so far it's going to be great! And you know what? Here in the Netherlands, the movie will be out November 19! Aren't we Dutch people lucky! :p I already have plans to go see it with some friends on the release date, and I'm really looking forward to it. xD I'm such a fangirl. ^^"_

_So here's the new chapter, have fun! :) _

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**Camping Trip**

Friday afternoon, I was sitting at a table in the crowded lunchroom of Forks High. My friends were chatting animatedly, but I wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. After today, spring break would start, and my mind was already on a vacation. Other than that, I felt very tired, a result of wandering around in the forest with Jake until one am, last night. Maybe Charlie did have a point yesterday, when he complained that I should be home at a normal hour on school nights.

"Yo Bella! Are you alive?" Mike's voice startled me awake. He was sitting across from me, staring at me unashamedly.

"Yo?" I muttered in annoyance. "I don't think that 'yo' qualifies as a word."

I didn't have any problems with the word 'yo', but I did have a lot of problems when it came to Mike Newton. The guy was seriously annoying, he took every opportunity he had to ask me out. Sure, when I'd first met Mike, I thought that he was a nice guy, until he started to make it pretty clear that he wanted me as much more than a friend. I had told him in a subtle way that I only liked him as a friend, but for some unknown reason he still had some hope left, seeing as he was still flirting with me frequently.

"Right…" He muttered, sounding a little discouraged by my bad mood and nervously running his hand through his blonde hair that was covered in too much gel. "I just wanted to ask you, are you still coming along on the trip?"

Oh crap. I had forgotten all about the little camping trip that Mike had planned for spring break. We were supposed to go hiking with a small group, and we would spend one night in the forest, sleeping in tents. Mike's parents owned a store with outdoor supplies, so he probably thought of camping and hiking as 'fun'. I still had to make up an excuse to get out of it, but it didn't help that I hadn't thought about this brilliant excuse yet, and that on top of that, I was a terrible liar.

"You should come, Bella, I'm sure it will be fun." Angela, who was sitting next to me, encouraged me.

Angela Weber was a nice girl. She was a little quiet, but she was a very friendly person, mature for her age, and I liked her.

"Yes, it's going to be totally awesome!" Jessica Stanley blurted out in her usual gushy tone.

She was sitting across from Angela and she smiled at me, but I wasn't so certain that she truly wanted me to come with them. Unlike me, she _did_ have a huge crush on Mike, and she didn't even try to hide it. I could see that it sometimes bothered her when Mike did one of his unsubtle attempts to flirt with me.

"I don't know guys…" I mumbled, trying to buy some time.

"Oh come on, Bella, it going to be great… It will be the four of us and Ben." Mike said, trying to sound persuasive.

Ben Cheney was Angela's boyfriend, and he was a great guy. He and Angela were such a cute couple, and it made me smile whenever Angela talked about him, her voice full of adoration. She always glowed when she was around him, and she'd been seriously disappointed when he'd told her this morning that he wouldn't be able to join us for lunch because he still had to finish a paper that was due today. It was a miracle to me how two people could be so drawn to each other, but it seemed like they were perfect together. I'd never felt anything like that for anyone, so it was hard to understand. Of course I loved Jacob, but I only loved him like a brother.

"So?" Jessica pressed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"I'm just not a person for hiking, you all know how clumsy I am... I'm not sure if I will survive." I joked, realizing that I was running out of time to make up my excuse. I really wasn't looking forward to avoiding Mike's advances for two whole days.

"We'll all look after you." Angela promised me, patting my hand.

I sighed, praying that a last minute excuse would suddenly pop up in my head, but it didn't.

"Fine, I'll come." I groaned in defeat, earning a smug smile from Angela.

"Excellent!" Mike exclaimed, a huge grin plastered on his face.

Jessica gave me a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, cool." She said, but it didn't sound very sincere.

Maybe I should talk to her about this, if only to explain that I wasn't interested in Mike, so she wouldn't feel depressed every time he did so much as talking to me, or looking at me.

"You can share our tent." Angela offered, pointing at herself and Jessica. "There's more than room enough for three girls."

I nodded. "Thanks, that would be helpful."

After that they all chatted excitedly about the planned trip, that would take place this Monday. I only nodded and smiled at the right moments, I didn't feel like talking about the dreaded trip. Instead I thought about the few plus sides of being forced to come along on this trip… Wandering around in the forest of Forks for two days… who would know what we came across… And I didn't mean bears… this would be an excellent chance to explore the forest a little further, and maybe I could finally find what I'd been desperately looking for the last few months of my life.

xxx

They say that time moves unnaturally fast when something you dread is coming up, and it seemed that they were right, whoever 'they' are. Before I knew it, the weekend had come to an end, and Monday morning had arrived.

I was packing some last things as I darted around my room. It was only a two day trip, so I just packed the essentials, hoping to keep my huge backpack as light as possible.

Charlie hadn't really complained about the trip. I think that he was happy to see me interacting with some of my school friends, but he had warned me numerous times to watch out for wild animals. I had assured him that it would be fine, and that Mike knew what he was doing, seeing as his parents owned a store with outdoor supplies. That argument had been enough to convince Charlie, and he had wished me good luck before he'd left for work this morning.

I would need a lot of luck without a doubt, there was a chance that we would all get lost or eaten by bears because of the bad luck that often seemed to follow me around. Not that I was going to remind my dad of that small fact.

When I was sure that I had everything that I needed to survive in a forest for two days, I carried my bag downstairs. I had a quick breakfast, swallowing down some cornflakes, and after I was finished I took off to the Newton's store, where we were all supposed to gather around eight.

It was a short drive, and when I arrived I noticed that everyone else was already there. They sure were enthusiastic about this trip, and now that it was actually going to happen, I couldn't help but feel some excitement myself. For a whole other reason than my classmates of course, but they didn't know anything about my hidden agenda, and I wanted to keep it that way.

"Bella! You made it." Mike called as soon as I got out of my truck, causing Jessica to glare at him.

"Sure… I said I would come." I stated, walking up to the small group as fast as my heavy backpack allowed me.

They all greeted me and I dropped my bag to the ground as soon as I reached them, not wanting to carry it for any longer than absolutely necessary.

"So, are you ready for this?" Angela asked. She was standing close to Ben, holding his hand.

"Positive." I replied, forcing myself to smile at the group. They were all so eager to go on this camping trip, and I didn't want to spoil things for them.

"Everyone ready?" Mike asked in general.

"Yes! Let's do this." Jessica exclaimed, grabbing Mike's arm, and tugging in the direction of the foggy forest.

He made a face but complied, and Angela, Ben and I followed them, heading for the forest.

"Hey Mike, did you bring a map and a compass?" Ben asked as we disappeared between the first trees.

"Of course, and I know how to use it, so no one has to worry about getting lost." He turned around for a short moment to look at me, as if he wanted to reassure me. I pretended to be very interested in my surroundings, avoiding his look, and keeping Jess happy.

It turned out that the walk wasn't that bad, we were moving at a normal pace, so none of us had any trouble keeping up. Since this was Forks, rain was inevitable, but luckily it was only a light drizzle. We were hiking for over three hours, when Mike suddenly came to a stop. He frowned, his eyes scanning the map, and he pressed his lips into a line.

"Are we lost?" Jess asked, already sounding panicked.

"No." Mike retorted immediately, clearly a sign of denial.

Jess noticed it, too, and she rolled her eyes. "You don't have a clue where we're going, do you?"

"Why don't you let me check…" Ben offered, holding out his hand to reach for the map.

Mike sighed but handed it over, along with the compass. Ben studied the map for a few minutes but then he looked up, shrugging in defeat. "I'm sorry, I don't think that I'm very good at this." He admitted.

"That's alright, neither is Mike." Jessica complained.

Mike glared at her. "Whatever, as if you know how to read a map." He grumbled.

"I don't, but at least I'm not acting like I _do know_." She reminded him.

"Two hours and we're already lost, my bad luck must really be rubbing off on you guys." I muttered, trying to lighten up the mood.

Angela laughed lightly but shook her head. "You should give yourself a little more credit, Bella."

I snorted. "There's no point in denying that I'm a magnet for accidents."

"You know what, let's just keep going, I guess as long as we're going east we will eventually find the main road to Forks again, and then we can start over from there." Mike finally suggested, after ten more minutes of staring blankly at the map.

"Works for me." Jessica agreed, already starting to walk.

Ben who had been playing with the compass raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Ehm Jess… that's north."

She turned around abruptly and rolled her eyes. "I knew that."

We continued our trip, but it was hard to see if we were making any progress. I think we were all beginning to give up hope, when there was a sudden change in the light that filtered through the large trees, ahead of us.

"Do you see that?" Angela, who was walking beside me, asked.

"Yes! Signs of civilization." I said in relief.

"Don't get too excited, it might just be an open space." Mike said, partly crushing our hopes.

Regardless, we kept walking in the direction of the light, until something huge and white came into sight.

"What the…" Jessica started in surprise.

We were supposed to be in the middle of a forest, so it was safe to say that none of us had expected the large mansion that was slowly appearing from behind the trees and bushes of ferns. When we got closer I noticed that all the curtains were closed, and the place looked vacant. The weird thing was that the house didn't look decayed, although the front yard, which was covered in ferns and weed, pointed out that no one had been here in ages.

"What is this…" Angela mused, she came to a stop and we all followed her example, taking in the mysterious house that was located in the middle of nowhere.

"This… is good!" Ben suddenly exclaimed.

"How is this good?" Mike demanded, his tone indicating that he was still al bit pissed.

"Because now I know where we are." Ben announced proudly. "My dad told me about this place a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he was wondering who it belonged to, since no one has lived here in a long time… We're pretty close to Forks actually…" He added, pointing out a small dirt path that led to the house.

"The path leads to the main road?" Angela guessed.

"Yes…"

"Great… then we can start over." Mike muttered as he folded out the map.

"Maybe someone else should navigate this time." Jessica suggested, trying to tease Mike.

Mike simply ignored her as he stared at the map; it seemed that he had mustered up some new courage to try again. "Alright guys… Let's go." He said, gesturing with his hand for us to follow him.

I stumbled after my friends through the sea of ferns, but not before curiously glancing back one last time at the huge, white mansion. My eyes drifted off to the second storey and I swore that I saw one of the curtains moving, causing my heart to skip a beat. Well this place was strange enough, it wouldn't surprise me if the house was haunted… Or maybe I was slowly losing it… going insane… I turned to catch up with the group and I almost jumped up because I was standing face to face with Angela, who gave me a confused look.

"You saw it, too, didn't you?" She asked quietly.

I sighed in relief, it wasn't my imagination running wild. "Yeah… I did."

"Weird, it's probably this creepy forest messing with our heads." Angela mused. "It's the sort of thing that you normally only see in a scary movie." She added in a joking tone.

"Yes." I agreed with a short laugh.

"Good thing that this is reality, the only thing that we have to worry about is getting eaten by wild animals." She said, grinning at me.

"Hmm yeah, none of the weird supernatural stuff here." I said in a mock cheerful tone.

We started moving at a swift pace to catch up with the others, and I was briefly wondering if Angela had any idea how wrong she was. There were probably plenty of unnatural things sneaking around in this forest… things that had no rational explanation…

* * *

_Thanks for reading! :D New update tomorrow. _


	4. Finding Her Sanity

_Hi guys! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Porcelain-Shadow, Jm1708, AutumnOtts**_ and _**Sprinter1! **

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Today happens to be your lucky day! Edward is in this chapter. xD_

_To Jm1708: Aahw that's so unfair, that you have to wait so long to see New Moon. :O I hope you'll have a chance to see it soon!_

_To AutumnOtts: Lol, I think I'm going to create a special room to store all my colored stars. xD_

_Alright, new chapter! Have fun and let me know what you think. :)_

* * *

**Finding Her Sanity**

After a few more hours of hiking, we came across a small open space, and Mike suggested that it was a nice place to set up our camp. We were all tired from the hike, so we started to set up our tents. Angela, Jess and me had some trouble setting up our tent, but Mike and Ben both came to the rescue after they had finished setting up their own tent. It turned out that Mike was better at setting up tents than at reading maps, and around eight we were all sitting around the small bonfire that Ben had set up, eating some sandwiches.

"This is nice." Angela said, taking a bite of her sandwich and moving closer to Ben, who was sitting next to her.

Ben smirked at her, draping his arm around her shoulder. "I couldn't agree more."

"Yes, probably the best part of this trip." Jessica agreed, warming her hands by the fire.

She was sitting next to Mike, but every time she tried to move closer to him, he subtly moved away. It was actually quite amusing to watch them.

"So… do you have any idea where we are?" I asked Mike, wondering if we were going to have any trouble finding our way back tomorrow.

"Yeah… I think I have a fairly good idea about our location." He replied, smiling at me, a smile that was supposed to reassure me.

I didn't know whether to believe him or not, but it was late, and it started to get dark. If we were lost and Mike was too proud to admit it, it would be officially tomorrow's problem.

The five of us talked for a while, and around ten we all decided that it was time to try and get some sleep. Our tent was rather small, and I tried to forget about the lack of personal space as I crawled into my sleeping-bag.

"Do you think that there are bugs here?" Jessica asked, when we were all lying down, staring at the ceiling of the green tent.

"It's a forest, so yes, probably." Angela replied with a snort.

"Oh gross." Jess muttered in a disgusted tone.

"Just close your eyes and go to sleep, when you sleep you won't notice them." I advised her in a dry tone.

"Thanks, that's really helping." She hissed back sarcastically.

She complained for another ten minutes, but after that she kept her mouth shut, and I started to drift off to sleep, too tired to care about the cold, or the bugs that Jessica had mentioned.

xxx

When I woke up I felt a little disorientated, but after taking a short look around, I realized where I was. Jessica and Angela were still sound asleep, but through the green canvas of our undersized tent I could see that it was starting to get lighter outside. I squinted my eyes and glanced at my watch, to find out that it was almost six am.

I tossed and turned for a while, but I was unable to go back to sleep, so I quietly got up, careful not to wake my friends. I slipped into my old sneakers and stepped out of the tent. Outside I didn't see anyone, and the boys' tent was still closed, so obviously they were also still asleep.

I guessed it wouldn't be a problem if I did a little exploring on my own, right? If I kept reasonably close to the camp…

For a while I wandered around the misty forest by myself, not straying away too far from the camp, and to my surprise the silence felt relaxing instead of spooky, this time. I walked at a rather swift pace, successfully avoiding the obstacles in my way. I was just starting to wonder how I had managed to remain upright the entire time, when I missed a treacherous root that was sticking out of the damp ground, tripping over it and crashing to the ground.

"Crap!" I cursed loudly as I hesitantly got up again.

I noticed a stinging pain on my left hand, and after a closer examination I came to the conclusion that I had a rather deep cut.

"Wonderful… just great." I mumbled to myself as I stared at my injured hand.

Miniscule drops of blood were welling up from the wound and I started to feel nauseous, the mere smell of blood was always enough to nearly make me faint. The smell of blood… I let out a short, hard laugh when it suddenly occurred to me that I had become the perfect bait to lure what I was looking for.

I cleared my throat and swiftly glanced around. "Any hungry vampires around?" I asked out loud, although being careful that I couldn't be heard back in our camp, in case my classmates were awake by now.

The only response I got was silence, and I lazily started to walk in large circles around a group of trees.

"I know you're out there." I stated in a confident tone. "I know what I saw, seven years ago... I'm not insane!" I added, my voice getting louder and more desperate, as if I was trying to convince _myself _that I was speaking the truth.

After an immeasurable moment I was seriously considering to return to the tents, when all of the sudden, I felt an unnatural breeze in the air. I shivered involuntarily, and I automatically turned my head to scan the small open space around me, but I didn't see anything.

"I already know that vampires exist, so you might as well show yourself." I pressed, briefly feeling embarrassed at the thought that I might be talking to no one but myself and a bunch of wild animals...

I was the one chasing after vampires, and I was determined to find them, but even after all this endless searching I wasn't prepared for what happened next. There was another cold breeze, and out of nowhere, he appeared in front of me, causing me to gasp loudly.

"What? Scared now, are you? It was _you,_ asking me to come to you." He reminded me in his velvety voice as he mockingly took in my shocked form.

It was a weird experience, the fact that I still remembered this voice, even though I had only heard it that one time, seven years ago. The beautiful boy who had saved my life hadn't aged a day, and if there had been any doubt left within me whether vampires existed or not, it was now completely gone.

"You saved me…" I stated dumbly, staring at his inhumanly perfect face. His eyes weren't the light golden color that I remembered, instead they were pitch-black.

"Yes… And I'm slowly starting to wonder if it was a wasted effort." He said in a strained tone, his jaw clenched. He was staring right back at me, his eyes boring into mine, as if he was trying to look into my very soul.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice shaking a little at this point. It surprised me that he seemed to remember me.

He snorted, but it didn't sound amused. "I'm obviously referring to the fact that you have a death wish."

"Believe me, I don't." I snapped at him, annoyed because he couldn't be more wrong.

"Don't you? Then why are you searching for something that you should be running away from?" He challenged me, raising his eyebrows, his tone still unfriendly.

"Because I… don't want to die… ever." I mumbled, not able to stop myself from blurting the words out.

He frowned, and confusion was apparent in his onyx eyes. Once again he stared at me, but this time he looked like he was deeply concentrating on something. After a few seconds his expression changed to one of frustration, and he ran one of his hands through his tousled, bronze hair. "That doesn't make any sense… Considering the fact that a vampire is probably the most deadly thing that a human could ever come across."

"If that's the case, then why am I still alive?" I asked smugly.

I knew that I should be scared to death, but for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to fear him. Maybe it was because he had saved me before, if he was really that evil, he wouldn't have bothered… He was still a vampire of course, but exactly the kind of vampire that I'd been looking for. A vampire that didn't have his mind set on killing me right away, which gave me some time to negotiate.

He ignored my question, but asked me another one. "I've seen you, wandering around the forest at night with your friend, so are you going to tell me what you are trying to accomplish by this ridiculous vampire hunt of yours?"

I briefly looked away from his intense gaze, staring at the painful cut on my hand, deciding if I should tell him what I was after. After deliberating for a short moment, I decided that it was now or never. I would never get another chance like this…

"I want to become a vampire myself." I whispered, slowly looking up at him again.

He growled and shook his head in disbelief, his eyes turning darker, if that was even possible. "How can you want that?" He sounded almost disgusted.

There was no point in keeping the truth from him now, and I shrugged. "I'm afraid to… die. I want to be… immortal."

That threw him off for a second, and for a brief moment, he just gaped at me."Well for your information, becoming immortal also means becoming a monster." He stated flatly. "Is that what you want? To become a monster?" He asked in a serious tone.

"No." I muttered, not knowing what else to say. "That's not what I want… I would never… kill humans. I could never do that." I added after a long silence.

"You think it is a _choice_?" He spat at me. "You think you can resist human blood, just like that? If things were that easy, sure, being a vampire wouldn't be that horrible. But you know nothing about vampires, do you?"

I looked up at him, nervously tangling and untangling my fingers. "I know that there are good vampires, otherwise, I would never want to become one myself… You are a good vampire…" I said quietly.

He rolled his eyes. "How can you be so sure? You know nothing about me, either, do you?"

"No…" I admitted in a whisper.

"Then stop this." His voice was lower now, sounding more like the musical tone that I'd heard before, friendlier even, as if he was trying to be persuasive. His eyes were smoldering me, it almost felt like he was trying to hypnotize me.

"If you won't give me what I want, I'll just have to look further." I threatened him.

He rolled his eyes. "By all means go ahead, that way, your death will be guaranteed. Do you have any idea how lucky you are that there aren't any other vampires in the area at the moment besides me and my family?"

I gave him a questioning look, wondering what he meant by that. "What makes you different from other vampires?" I asked curiously.

He sighed in annoyance but answered me anyway. "I don't want to be… a monster. Me and my family… we survive on the blood of animals, we never hunt humans. That is the reason why I saved you back then… that is the reason why I'm struggling to keep myself from attacking you at this very moment…" He was whispering the last part, and his eyes wandered to my injured hand.

"It's harder to resist because I'm bleeding?" I guessed.

"That's not the only reason… It's harder to resist for me… because it is _you_." He replied warily.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

He seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before he spoke again. "I don't really know how to explain this… You see, animal blood keeps us strong enough to resist human blood, most of the time. Of course, it's nothing compared to the blood of humans, but it's good enough… But humans… some of them smell better to us than others… and you smell mouthwatering, especially to me."

I tried to ignore the impossibility of our unusual conversation as I took this new information in. "Okay… so basically what you are saying is… that my blood is on top of your list of favorite foods?" If things hadn't been so serious, I would probably laugh at how silly all of this sounded.

"Basically, yes." He said with a small nod, never taking his gaze away from me.

My brain was working overtime, thinking about ways to make this information useful, and all of the sudden, I came up with an idea. A deal that could be profitable for both of us.

"So if you bite me… You can have a taste of the blood that you so desperately want… and I can also get what I want…" I proposed, having some problems to form a coherent sentence beneath his intimidating glare, which seemed to be getting more and more infuriated as I came closer to the end of my suggestion.

"Never." He said angrily. "If you've been paying attention, you would know that I don't want to kill humans."

"I don't want you to kill me, I want you to turn me into a vampire… That's how it works, right? You bite me, I'll become a vampire."

He laughed a short, humorless laugh. "Yes that's how it works, although I'm afraid that the books and movies have a lot of other things wrong… And please don't live in the illusion that vampires are truly alive, we're further from living than you can possibly imagine..."

I wanted to ask him what this cryptic remark was supposed to mean, but I didn't want him to get even more irritated with me, so I kept my mouth shut, and for a while we were silently staring at each other again.

"You're not going to give in, are you?" I finally asked, breaking the silence.

"No." Was his immediate reply. "And there are a lot of reasons why you should be thankful for that. I suggest that you go back to your friends now and take care of that cut, and that you stop wandering around the forest at night."

I threw him a look of disbelief, not understanding why my deal didn't seem to interest him in the slightest. "Fine, whatever." I grumbled in defeat.

"No." He said again, his voice sounding a bit softer than before. "Not whatever, I'm serious, try to be safe, Bella."

My heart skipped a beat in surprise when he said my name. "How do you know my name?" I asked, suspicious.

"Vampires have excellent hearing… I told you I've seen you strolling around in the forest."

"Oh… well then… can I at least know _your _name?" I asked, even though I had no idea why I cared. Perhaps I just wanted to have a name that I could put to the face of my savior.

"I don't think that my name is relevant." He said coldly, his mood abruptly turning around again.

"It's only fair… Please?" I tried a second time.

He rolled his eyes before swiftly turning around, and gracefully striding away from me.

"Jerk." I mumbled to myself, not really wanting him to hear it.

He came to a stop and turned his head to look over his shoulder, raising one of his perfect eyebrows at me. Right, he had told me a moment ago that vampires had excellent hearing, way to go Bella, pissing off a vampire. I could be so stupid sometimes.

"It's Edward." He called unexpectedly. "And make sure that I don't catch you searching for vampires again." He warned me, before there was another small breeze and he had disappeared so fast that my human eyes couldn't register it.

"Well thanks for all your help, Edward!" I yelled after him in a sarcastic tone.

"Who are you talking to?" Angela's voice startled me.

I turned around in a reflex and bit my lip, thinking of a good excuse that I could give her, and failing miserably. "I… I'm not sure." I stuttered.

She gave me a concerned look but thankfully she was distracted when she spotted my hand, and she let it drop. "You're bleeding, what happened? And what were you doing out here on your own? We were worried when you were missing, everyone is looking for you!"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to go for a walk and I didn't want to wake you guys… I tripped over a tree root." I told her.

"Yeah, that sounds like you." She said, lightly shaking her head. "That looks painful, let's get back to the tent, I brought a first aid kit."

I followed her back to the camp, throwing one last glance at the place where I'd talked to Edward. There was nothing to see, though, and I wondered if I would ever see him again, or any other vampires, for that matter…

* * *

_Thank you for reading, new update tomorrow! :D_


	5. New Strategy

_Hey folks! :)_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Sprinter1, ****singingsaxophonist****, ****Vampire-Girl1992**_**,**_** A. Good, LoveTeamEdward, Marijne, Jm1708, Porcelain-Shadow, Gnomegirl13, **_and_** AutumnOtts! **_You guys rock! :D_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Haha, nee het zou niet erg realistisch zijn als Edward meteen toegaf, hij is ook zo koppig. :P En we willen natuurlijk ook niet dat ie weer last krijgt van zijn geweten. xD In ieder geval, leuk dat je weer mee leest! :D_

_To Marijne: Oh shizzle, oepsie. :O Ik ben het een beetje vergeten, nogal druk de laatste tijd. xD Maar ik ben nu dus begonnen met hem op T-O te posten! xD Dankjewel voor het wakker schudden. :p_

_To Jm1708: Thanks! You have a nice week, too! :D_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Lol, remember to keep breathing. :p_

_To Gnomegirl13: Ehm, you're from the United States, right? I'm also not sure how that works with the time difference, so maybe we do get to see it at the same time. xD_

_To A. Good: You're totally right, that is because Bella doesn't know a thing about vampires, even if she thinks she does. And Edward completely agrees with you, so he is going to make that clear to her, later. :P_

_To AutumnOtts: Yay, I love pink! :D_

_Alright, new chapter, have fun guys!_

* * *

**New Strategy**

Angela took care of my cut, and after that we packed up the camp and started our trip back to Forks. To our relief, Mike hadn't lied when he'd said that he knew what he was doing, and after a few hours of hiking, the main road to Forks came into sight.

"You guys this is amazing! We made it! Two days in the forest without getting eaten or getting lost. Well, not totally getting lost." Jess said, briefly glancing at Mike with a smirk on her face.

"It was one tiny mistake, Jess, get over it." He grumbled.

We all laughed at the sour look on Mike's face, and eventually Mike also managed to crack a small smile himself.

We made our way back to the store of the Newtons, and from there we said our goodbyes and all went our separate ways.

A few minutes later I was back home, and it was nice, being able to take a warm shower, and having access to a toilet and clear, streaming water again. After two days of surviving in a forest, I truly appreciated all these things that I normally took for granted.

I changed into a pair of jeans and an old sweater, and I went downstairs, planning to make dinner for Charlie and myself, since he already had to cook for himself yesterday. My dad wasn't a very talented cook, so I could only imagine how his homemade meal had tasted.

I was busy making a dressing for the salad, when the phone started to ring.

"Yeah yeah, patience, I'm coming." I mumbled to no one in particular while I quickly washed my hands as the phone kept ringing mercilessly.

"Hello?" I asked when I picked up.

"Bella! It's me."

"Ah, hi Jake, what's up?"

He let out a small snort. "Just checking if you survived that camping trip, I mean, knowing you…" He trailed off suggestively.

"Oh please, give me some credit, Jake!" I huffed, I was still a bit pissed at him because he'd made fun of me when I had told him that I was going on a survival trip.

"Fine, I'm sorry!" He apologized. "So… did you come across something interesting?" He added in a joking tone.

I knew what he was referring to, but I wasn't sure what to tell him. If I told him what I had seen, maybe he would finally stop thinking that I was insane. On the other hand, there was also the chance that he would only question my sanity even more, seeing as I had no real evidence.

"Not really." I mumbled after a short moment of silence.

"Not really?" Jacob repeated my words in a questioning tone. "Either you saw something, or you didn't… And since you are the worst liar in the world, your voice is telling me that you _did_ see something."

Busted, great. Why couldn't I hide anything from him? "Fine but I'm not going to tell this over the phone… You know what, I'll come over to La Push after dinner." I gave in.

"Perfect." He said, sounding satisfied. "I'll see you tonight, Bells."

"Yeah, see you." I mumbled, before hanging up the phone.

Wonderful, now I didn't have a choice anymore, I would have to tell him.

I resumed my attempt to prepare dinner, and meanwhile, my mind was working overtime. I hadn't stopped thinking about my encounter with Edward ever since it had taken place this morning, and I didn't know where to go from here. If he was telling the truth, it was a bad idea to go looking for other vampires. On the other hand, he had made it perfectly clear that _he_ would never give me what I wanted. He did mention that he had a family, and that they also didn't hunt humans… So maybe I could try to convince one of _them_…

I was deep in thought until Charlie came home, and I still wasn't sure _if_ and _how_ I should continue my search for immortality. Of course I would see Jake later, so I could ask him if he had a clever idea that could help me out. Although knowing Jacob, he would probably say that it was a stupid idea that I wanted to become a vampire in the first place, and an annoying little voice in my head was shouting at me that he might be right… But what could possibly be worse than death?

xxx

"What?! Are you seriously telling me that you've had a conversation with a vampire?" Jacob exclaimed in disbelief.

We were walking along the deserted beach of La Push, and I had just told him what I'd seen this morning. Without giving him too many details, of course.

"Yeah… I did." I replied.

He raised his eyebrows, but the look on his face told me that, for some unknown reason, he believed that I was telling the truth. Probably because he knew that I was incapable of lying properly. "And he didn't try to kill you?"

"No… Edward doesn't kill humans, that's also the reason why I'm still a human, he doesn't want to change me." I explained.

I had expected a lot of reactions from Jacob, but his reaction still took me by surprise. He started to laugh out loud, as if I had just told him that the moon was made of cheese.

"The… the bloodsucker… has a name…?" He choked out through fits of laughter.

I glared at him and rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Bells, but it sounded funny… Hearing you talk about him like he actually is a person." He said as soon as he was able to compose himself again.

"Sure… whatever, Jake. And he _is_ a person, even though he is a vampire. He's civilized, and he was even… sort of nice. Almost as if he wanted to protect me, he told me that I should stop looking for other vampires… that I had to stay safe." I ranted, suddenly feeling some unexplainable urge to defend Edward.

"If you say so… But seriously, not that I'm not happy that he refused to change you, but why is he so against it? I mean, you didn't ask him to kill you, you asked him to turn you into one of them, right?" Jacob asked curiously.

"He doesn't want to turn me into a monster." I admitted.

He frowned and looked even more confused than before. "He's a vampire himself, so that makes him a big hypocrite! I'm thankful for that, though, I don't want my best friend to become one of the living dead."

Jacob suddenly came to a stop and turned to look at me. "So what is it that you're not telling me about this Edward." He asked out of nowhere.

"What makes you think that I'm not telling you everything?" I challenged him, already knowing that I was going to lose this fight.

"Oh come on, Bells, your face is an open book, it's not hard to tell that you're keeping something from me."

I sighed in defeat and made a face at him. "Fine, if you must know… that wasn't the first time I saw him…"

"What? Wait… you mean that he was the same one who…"

"Saved me, that's right." I finished his sentence.

"And now you believe that he is a good vampire?" Jacob asked in a skeptical tone.

"He _is_, Jake… He only drinks animal blood, he doesn't want to hurt humans, he saved me from getting killed… He's the only reason why I even considered becoming a vampire in the first place… Because I knew that there was actually a way to be a good vampire."

"A _good_ vampire? Do you know how idiotic that sounds? He's still a bloodsucker, he even thinks of himself as a monster! Really Bella… please stop this, please promise me that you won't go looking for vampires anymore."

"I can't do that." I whispered.

"Look, if you don't want to listen to me, then at least take _his_ advice. He told you that it wasn't smart to go looking for the wrong kind of vampires." Jacob reminded me.

"I know… But he also claims to have a family… According to him, none of them drink human blood. So if that's the case, maybe one of them is willing to change me." I informed him about my new plan.

"Please just don't… Your life is much too valuable to throw it away like that." He tried one last time.

"I'm not throwing it away, on the contrary, I'm trying to make it a bit more durable." I argued. "I'm sorry, Jake." I added in a softer tone when I saw the concerned look on his face.

He nodded and pressed his lips into a hard line. "Yeah, you will be if you ever get your way…"

xxx

I was driving away from La Push, feeling a little guilty about upsetting Jacob. But this was my life, I was allowed to make my own choices. I knew he meant well, but this was what I wanted, he just had to understand.

"Hey kiddo, already back home?" Charlie called from the living room as soon as I slammed the door shut behind me.

"Yeah, I'm back." I replied while taking off my coat and walking over to the kitchen sink to get a glass of water.

"Figures, this time it's _not_ a school night, and now you're back before ten." He teased me when I joined him in the living room, where he was watching some baseball game.

I made a face at him. "Very funny, dad."

"So how's Jacob?" He asked.

"He's fine. By the way, before I left he mentioned that Billy was planning on visiting you soon."

He grinned. "Great, I haven't seen him in ages."

I gave him a smile and nodded. "Well I'm going to get some sleep, I didn't sleep that much last night. Good night, dad."

He grinned at me. "Yeah, I guess your bed is a bit more comfortable than the forest floor… It's good to have you safely back home again. Good night, Bells."

I went upstairs and as I was brushing my teeth in the small bathroom that I was forced to share with Charlie, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I was pale, I always had been. It was almost the same, unnatural pale skin that Edward had. I still looked young, which was to be expected, since I was only seventeen. Same old me, boring brown hair and dull brown eyes. But my reflection would change, I would slowly start to get wrinkly and old… if I was going to be that lucky. A lot of people died at a young age because of some scary disease…

And so I made up my mind. Tomorrow I was going to try and find some other members of Edward's family. I didn't care that he wanted me to stop this, my life wasn't any of his business. I hardly even knew him, and he was a vampire himself for god's sake! If he had a problem with me voluntarily wanting to become one, too, it meant that Jake was right about Edward being a hypocrite. And besides, ever since he had saved me seven years ago, he had been a part of my motivation to become a vampire. Because he was the living proof that it was possible to be a vampire without killing humans. _Too bad if you won't change me, Edward, I'll find someone who will…_

* * *

_Thank you for reading, new update tomorrow!_


	6. Convincing Her

_Hey everyone! :)_

_Special thanks to my awesome reviewers; _**Lill miss bella cullen, Porcelain-Shadow, AutumnOtts, Gnomegirl13, Jm1708,****Sprinter1 **_and_** LoveTeamEdward!**_ :D And thanks for the stars, AutumnOtts! xD_

_Ehm I don't have a lot of time right now, so I'm quickly going to answer the Jacob/Werewolf question. _

_No, Jake is not a werewolf yet, if he were, it wouldn't be realistic that he helped Bella with her vampire searches. Other than that, if he were a werewolf, he wouldn't be taking this whole situation so lightly. He is still a human and isn't really sure if he should believe Bella's stories about vampires, the rational part of his brain keeps telling him that the legends can't be more than legends. _

_To LoveTeamEdward: Ja inderdaad, dat idee is op zich wel goed, maar echt al heel vaak gebruikt, en ik probeer het altijd wat origineler te houden. :P Bovendien heeft Bella een belangrijke les te leren, en die leert ze niet als Edward haar zomaar geeft wat ze hebben wil. :p _

_Alright, new chapter, more Edward._

_Enjoy folks!_

* * *

**Convincing Her**

I woke up early the next morning, and that was a good thing. I was still on time to have breakfast with Charlie before he would go to the station, so I would have a chance to ask him what I wanted to know. I had decided that the huge, white mansion was going to be the place where I would continue my search, since I had found Edward when me and my friends had started our hike from there. According to Ben the house was somewhere near the city of Forks, and Charlie would surely know where I could find it.

"Dad?" I started while we both were quietly eating our breakfast at the kitchen table.

"Hmm?" He mumbled, looking up from the newspaper.

"When we were hiking we came across a big house in the middle of the forest, Ben's father said that no one has lived there for ages…"

He nodded as he swallowed another bite of cornflakes. "Ah yes, I know that place, it's a pretty nice house, actually. Too bad that no one is living there."

"Yes… It's close to Forks, right?" I pried.

"Yeah… why?"

"Oh… it's just… a very nice house, and a beautiful location, I wanted to take another look. I don't have anything else to do today so…" I trailed off.

"Oh, right, hand me a piece of paper and a pen, I'll write down the directions."

"Thanks." I said, smiling at him.

Charlie wrote down the instructions to help me find the place, and after that he left for work. I left five minutes later, starting my good old truck and driving off, following my dad's directions.

I had some trouble finding the well hidden turnoff that led to the house, but finally I spotted it, and I turned into the small dirt path. After a few minutes the white mansion came into sight, and I parked my truck before slowly getting out.

I hadn't really lied to Charlie, it _was_ a nice house… but also a bit creepy, probably because it was standing in the middle of nowhere, and because no one was living there... Or so most people thought, I still wasn't sure about what I'd seen the other day.

I briefly glanced at it, before moving on and making my way through the wild bushes of ferns, and into the forest. I lazily strolled along a trail that was leading into the forest, staying close to the small path so I wouldn't get lost.

xxx

I had mentally prepared myself for a long walk and an impossible search, which was the main reason why it startled me when I suddenly noticed him, casually leaning against a tree, looking at me as if he was watching some interesting show on TV. His eyes were lighter today, more gold than black, and he didn't look as irritated as he had yesterday.

I rolled my eyes and scowled at him. "Go away, Edward."

"You want me to go away?" He asked, feigning hurt. "Normally, that would be a smart move, except for the fact that you want me to go away in order to look for something even more dangerous."

I let out an irritated sigh. "What I do is none of your business."

"Is that so? I beg to differ. Seeing as the main rule in the vampire world is to keep our existence a secret, and you are a human who knows entirely too much about us because of something I did… I believe it _is_ my business."

I frowned. "Vampires have rules?"

"Only one, and I broke it, the day I saved you." He informed me, shrugging away from the tree and taking a few steps in my direction.

"Then why did you do it?" I asked in a lighter tone, unable to ignore my curiosity.

He was silent for a moment, simply gazing at me with his penetrating, golden eyes. "I don't know." He finally answered.

"Oh… Well regardless, that was your mistake, not mine. No one forced you to save me." I reminded him.

I had expected his mood to turn around, but he still sounded calm and collected when he spoke again. "But I _did_ save you, and like I told you before, I don't want it to be a wasted effort. What is it you're looking for this time? More vampires? I told you to stop searching, but since politely asking doesn't seem to work in your case, maybe the many downsides of being a vampire are going to convince you to stop this ridiculous behavior."

"What do you mean?" I asked, having some trouble to keep up with his train of thought.

"You want to become a vampire, but you don't have the faintest idea what becoming a vampire means, Bella. Don't you think that it would be wise for you to do some research, to know what you are getting yourself into?" He did another step towards me, moving so close that he was almost within my reach. Even from this close, his face still seemed flawless, and I couldn't help but wonder if all vampires were this beautiful, or if it was just him.

"You're right." I agreed. "If I ever happen to stumble upon a vampire who's willing to change me, I'll make sure to ask about that, first."

He glared at me and sighed in frustration, before composing himself again. "How about you and I have a talk, and I give you some details on what it's like to live as a vampire. Maybe after that, you'll reconsider your plans."

I thought about that for a second. The guy did have a point… a very good point. If I wanted to spend an eternity as a vampire, it would be useful to know what being a vampire entailed.

"Fine! Let's talk." I muttered, throwing my hands into the air in exasperation.

"Good! I was hoping you would say that." He said smugly, the hint of a smile forming around his perfect lips. "I know a nice place where we can talk, and I can also show you some things that are part of being a vampire."

"Alright, let's go to this nice place of yours." I grumbled. "It's not too far, right? I'm not a very fast hiker."

He grinned mischievously, and again he stepped closer to me. "It's a two hour hike, but as a special introduction, we'll be travelling vampire-style, which means that it will only take a few minutes."

"When you say we…" I started, but he interrupted me before I could finish.

"I mean you and I." He clarified, reaching his hand out to me.

I hesitantly put my small hand in his large one, and it felt cold and smooth like marble. I was involuntarily shaking and he seemed to notice, for he gently squeezed my hand, his eyes softer than I'd ever seen them before.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

"In theory, yes." I mumbled.

"Perfect!" He exclaimed, and before I knew what was happening he slung me onto his back.

I squealed in surprise and my heart started to speed up. "Edward! Are you insane?"

"Who knows, you might be rubbing off on me."

"That's not nice." I complained.

"You better hold on tight." He warned me.

I firmly locked my arms around his neck, and despite the excitement and a hint of fear that I felt, I noticed that he smelled really nice. A sweet scent that could impossibly be a cologne... Maybe it was also a vampire-thing…

I was nervously wondering what was going to happen next. Did vampires fly? I certainly hoped they didn't, I'd always been a little scared of heights...

And then we were moving, so fast that the trees and the rest of the green forest were just a blur around us. I let out a small shriek and rigidly clung to Edward. The wind was blowing in my face and I realized that he was running. It was going so smoothly that I didn't even feel that he was actually taking steps, it wasn't flying, but it was close. I was a bit worried about hitting trees and I started to get slightly dizzy, so I tried closing my eyes. It helped a little and I started to calm down.

"Bella?"

His voice made me open my eyes again. I hadn't even noticed that he had stopped running. I tentatively let go of him, slowly letting myself slide to the ground. My knees were shaking violently, and I felt a little nauseous.

"Are you alright?" He asked, giving me a concerned glance.

"Yeah…" I replied, my voice trembling. "That was just…"

"Scary?" He offered.

"Yes, it's a miracle that we didn't hit any trees."

He rolled his eyes. "You have to give me more credit than that, part of being a vampire is having highly developed senses."

"Right." I mumbled, letting myself fall to the forest floor as my shaky knees were no longer able to carry me.

I took deep breaths as Edward warily watched me, and my frantic heart gradually calmed down.

"Better?" He asked.

I nodded and he offered me his hand. I reluctantly took it and he helped me up, releasing me as soon as I was safely standing on my two feet.

"Follow me." He said, walking ahead of me and leading me to an open space in the forest.

He hadn't been exaggerating when he'd said that it was a nice place, it was breathtakingly beautiful. The small meadow was perfectly round, and wildflowers were growing everywhere. I could make out the bubbling of a stream, it sounded very relaxing and peaceful. Despite the gray, overcast sky, the place held something magical.

"Wow… this is amazing." I stated when I was done exploring my surroundings. I turned to look at Edward, who was standing at the very edge of the circular open space, his eyes following my every move.

"That's what I thought." He said, his lips slowly turning up into a tiny smile.

"How did you find this place?" I asked in awe.

He shrugged. "I accidently stumbled upon it one day."

"It's beautiful…"

I was standing precisely in the middle of the meadow, and I sank to the ground, crossing my legs and sitting down Indian style. I looked up at Edward, patting the space on the damp ground in front of me. He hesitated for a moment, but walked over to me and sat down across from me, so close that our knees were only an inch from touching.

We stared at each other for a while, until I broke the silence, coming straight to the point.

"So… let's hear it, Edward. Convince me that it's better to stay human…"

* * *

_That's it for today, new chapter tomorrow! :)_


	7. The Disturbing Details

_Hey folks! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**LisaCA, Sdoyle, Sprinter1, AutumnOtts, Singingsaxophonist, Gnomegirl13**_ and _**Porcelain-Shadow!**_ You guys make me happy! :) _

_To LisaCA: Thanks! I'm glad you like the idea, I'm always looking for plots that haven't been used yet. :p_

_To Sprinter1: Lol, yes I also liked the idea of Edward showing up that way. xD_

_To AutumnOtts: Yay, I'm glad you like my Edward. :p Red violet, thanks. xD_

_To Singingsaxophonist: Actually I stole this idea from the Twilight movie, Edward asks Bella this before they start flying through the trees. xD But you're right, it was also in Aladdin. xD I love Disney, and love that movie. :D_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Lol, for being such a loyal reviewer, you get a free, digital, biting Edward. :p_

_New chapter, guys! Have fun._

* * *

**The Disturbing Details**

He seemed to be deep in thought, probably deciding where to start with his lecture on vampires. His eyes were a bit darker again. They always seemed to turn darker when he was close to me, which made me think that it had something to do with how thirsty he was.

"Alright, let's start with you telling me what you _think_ you know about vampires." He suggested.

His question took me off guard, and I feverishly scanned my head for facts about vampires that I believed to be true. "Okay… They drink blood, sleep in coffins, don't have a reflection, get burned by the sun, garlic and holy water keeps them away, and when Buffy puts a wooden stake through your heart, you're dead." I summarized what I knew about vampires, carefully watching his expression that was rather blank.

When I ended my list he let out a loud snort. "When Buffy puts a wooden stake through _your_ heart, you're dead. Killing a vampire is a whole other thing, it's not that simple… And over all, your knowledge of vampires is rather poor."

"Oh… so how many facts did I get right?" I asked, starting to feel pretty stupid.

"One." Was his short reply.

"Are you going to tell me which one?" I sighed, getting irritated because I had to pull everything out of him.

He gave me an incredulous look, raising one of his eyebrows at me. "I think you can guess."

I wanted to slap my forehead when I realized how obvious it was. "Ah, right… the part about drinking blood. Wait, does that mean that… all the other things on my list are no more than a bunch of nonsense?"

"Exactly." He said, sounding a little amused now. "Nothing more than stupid lies that people made up to create the illusion of safety, thinking that they would stand a chance against a vampire, believing that killing a vampire is as easy as driving a stake through its heart while it is sleeping in a coffin."

"So you don't sleep in a coffin?" I asked curiously, automatically thinking that without the coffins, it would make the whole vampire-thing considerably less creepy.

"No." He answered. "Vampires can't sleep."

Well that was a little disturbing… I liked to sleep, it was always nice to escape reality for a while, hiding away in your dreams. "You can't sleep at all?"

"Never." He confirmed.

"Then… don't you get tired?" I asked in disbelief, not really caring anymore if he thought that it was a dumb question.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, vampires don't get tired."

"And the part about burning in the sunlight, that's also not true?" I couldn't help but ask, my stubborn mind refused to believe that one of the most basic things that people associated with vampires, was no more than a delusion.

He shrugged. "The sun doesn't hurt us, but we can never go out in the sunlight where humans can see us."

"Why not?"

"That's a part I'd rather show than tell you, but maybe some other time." He told me.

A light breeze swept through the meadow, causing the wildflowers to sway, and causing Edward's messy, bronze hair to slightly ruffle in the wind. Again I was surrounded by the alluring scent that he seemed to radiate.

"Do all vampires smell this good?" Oh no, I should learn to keep my big mouth shut.

To my relief he laughed a light, musical laugh. "It's part of the lure, we're supposed to attract humans, so yes, I guess all vampires smell nice. Although some of us might have a more alluring scent to you than others, based on personal preferences. "

"And the way you… look… also is part of the lure?" I asked, not able to hide my blush, seeing as I was practically telling him that he looked nice.

Again he laughed. "Yes, also part of the lie, we look good to humans because they are our intended prey."

"As if you need good looks." I argued. "No human could ever outrun you."

"True… I guess it's just an extra advantage. Also, some vampires have even more of those special abilities."

"Like what?"

He gazed intently at me for a moment before he answered, as if he was trying to figure out what was going on inside my head. "Special powers, features that make us even more dangerous."

"And do you have any of these superpowers?" I pressed.

For a brief moment he stared at his hands, which were lying in his lap, and then he looked up at me again, seeming a little frustrated. "I can read minds."

Uh oh… my breathing hitched, and I quickly tried to think back to all the thoughts that had crossed my mind while I'd been in his vicinity. "You mean you can read everyone's mind, just like that?" I choked out.

He pressed his lips into a line to keep from laughing, he probably had a fairly good idea why I was asking this. "I can read everyone's mind… except yours, so you don't have to worry about that."

His answer sent a wave of relief through me, but it also had me wondering what made me different from other people... "Why is that?"

"I honestly don't know, before I met you, I'd never encountered anyone who's mind I was unable to read." He confessed.

Well that was weird, it probably meant that I was a freak… and it explained why he had seemed so frustrated before, he was used to being able to pick the information right out of someone's brain. On the other hand, I was glad that he wasn't able to read my mind, it was a weird idea to have no privacy whatsoever.

"I take it you've already heard a lot of information about vampires that you hadn't expected." Edward's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, you could say that." I admitted. "But so far, everything you've told me is different than what I'd thought, but not… horrible. So… what is the worst part about being a vampire?" I added, recalling that he wanted to inform me about the downsides of becoming a vampire.

"The worst part?" He asked, never breaking eye contact and staring me directly in the eye, a serious look on his perfect face. "Aside from the fact that you're frozen in time for eternity… When you become a vampire, you will be consumed by the burning thirst for human blood for the rest of your existence. And if you can't live with the idea of killing innocent humans and you want a different lifestyle, like me and my family, every minute of the day you will have to struggle to resist the temptation."

"And that's not easy…" It was more a statement than a question.

"No… you can't even begin to imagine how hard it is. Especially for new born vampires, most of the time, they're not able to resist, even if they wanted to. When you're a newborn, you can't stop yourself from killing people… It's almost a given that you won't be able to stop yourself from hunting humans, even if your mind tells you that it is wrong. I've been a vampire for quite a while, and even for me it's still difficult sometimes… But it's worth it, I don't want to be a killer, Bella." His eyes turned a lighter tint of ocher, and for a moment he looked uncharacteristically vulnerable.

I felt an unexplainable urge to reach out and touch his hand to comfort him, but I wasn't sure if he would be okay with that, so I quickly dropped my eyes, looking away from his intense stare.

"And are there a lot of vampires like you and your family?" I asked in a conversational tone, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"Not many. There's another small coven of vampires like us living in Denali, other than that, I'm not sure…"

"And your family… is it big?" I asked, unable to stop my flood of questions.

"There are seven of us, actually that's unusually large for a coven of vampires. Most vampires travel around a lot, some of them alone, others in groups of two or three. I suppose it's easier for us to live together, because of our special diet." He said, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

I nodded in understanding. "So where are they? Your family, I mean."

A look of realization crossed his face, and he gave me a knowing smile. "Ah, that's what you were after..."

"Maybe…" I muttered, ducking my head again to hide my blush. "But at the moment I was just wondering how vampires… live. I mean, do you just hang out in the forest twenty-four hours a day?"

He smirked at me. "No, you know where we live… You parked your truck there."

"Wait, you mean… You're all living in that white mansion?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes… that's right. Of course the good people that live in the city of Forks believe that no one is living there…"

I frowned. "Why the hiding? You're pretty good at acting human."

"Oh, we mingle with humans from time to time, and since I'm physically stuck at seventeen, I've attended high school many times… But sometimes, we need a break from acting like something that we're not. Besides, this way, we can stay longer in the same place. If we would actually interact with the people of Forks, they would start to get suspicious after a while."

"Right, they'll know that you're not aging."

"Yes… and then we would have to move again. This is like a vacation to us, although I'm not sure how long it's going to last." His eyes were troubled now and I wasn't sure what he was saying.

"Are you moving away?" I asked, a bit shocked by how unhappy that thought made me.

"I don't know… all I know is that something is going to change, soon, but I'm not sure what…" He mused.

"I don't get it…" I admitted. This guy was getting more and more cryptic by the minute.

"You see Alice… my sister, for lack of a better term, she also has a special ability. She can see the future… I see a lot of visions that she sees, too, through her thoughts… but lately she's hiding her thoughts from me, and I don't know what it means." He explained.

"Oh…" I mumbled, not knowing what to say to that.

A drop of cold water landed on my left cheek and startled me, causing my head to snap up in a reflex. The sky had gotten darker, and it started to rain now.

"I should get you back to your car, you'll get a cold." Edward said, also looking up at the dark gray sky.

"Alright." I mumbled reluctantly, I enjoyed talking to him and I didn't want the stupid rain to end my time with him.

He noticed it and he grinned at me as he got up, offering his hand to me. "A few hours ago you yelled at me to go away…" He reminded me.

I sighed as I took his hand. "That was then..."

"Hmm, well I think I filled you in on all the important details, so you can manage without my help from now on." He assured me. "And for the second time, I suggest that you don't go looking for vampires anymore, and since I am also a vampire, that includes _me_."

I felt immensely disappointed, realizing that he was asking me to leave him alone…

"Do you want to go back the human way?" He asked, giving me an uncertain glance.

"No… I was sort of hoping that you would give me a ride." I replied, unable to stop a small snort from escaping me.

"As you wish." He smiled a crooked smile that made him look even more breathtaking, and helped me onto his back.

This time, I knew what was going to happen, so I closed my eyes as soon as he started to run, simply relaxing against him and inhaling his intoxicating scent, which was almost calming.

All to soon we were back at the mansion, and he gently set me down on my feet next to my old, red truck.

"So… this is it?" I asked him, leaning against the door of my truck, ignoring the rain.

He was standing rather close to me, and he was frowning slightly. Again I felt a strange urge to reach out and touch him, but I stopped myself just in time.

"Yes, I want you to seriously think about all the information I gave you today, please reconsider your plans, Bella. Being human is a gift… don't throw it away." His voice was gentle and almost pleading, and his eyes were a light, liquid gold. I could drown in those eyes.

"I will… Thanks, Edward. For everything." I said softly, if he were human he probably wouldn't be able to hear my words.

"You're welcome… Please stay safe." He said, still deadly serious.

"I'll try…"

His next movement took me by surprise, and my heart jumped up. He hesitantly brought his hand to my face and softly stroked my cheek with his icy fingertips.

"Take care, Bella. Goodbye."

"Bye, Edward." I whispered, gazing one last time into his golden eyes, committing them to memory.

I slowly got into my truck, and when I started the engine and looked up again, he was gone. For some reason, it disturbed me that there was a huge possibility that I would never see him again. I couldn't understand why, after all he was just a grumpy, stubborn, annoying vampire… And he was nice, and charming, and he cared for me… an annoying voice in my head reminded me.

I hadn't completely made up my mind when it came to staying away from vampires, but Edward had been right, this was something I had to think through… Especially the part of killing humans was something that I couldn't live with, I wasn't willing to sacrifice other peoples' lives to save my own. He had made me see that it was a huge decision to make, giving up humanity had sounded more complicated than I would've believed.

Regardless, there already was a new problem that was bothering me… Staying away from vampires in general might not be so hard… staying away from Edward… that was going to be harder. And this time, I didn't want to be around him in order to persuade him to turn me into one of his kind... it was his company that I longed for. One thing was for sure, I was going to find an excuse to see him again…

* * *

_That's it for today, thanks for reading! :)_


	8. Fresh Meat

_Hey everyone! :)_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Porcelain-Shadow, Rosalies-Evil-Twin, Sprinter1, AutumnOtts, Gnomegirl13, A. Good **_and_** LoveTeamEdward!**

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Sure, here, have another one. xD_

_To AutumnOtts: I'm afraid I SUCK at Edward POVs. :p I've tried a couple of times, but always ended up using the delete button. ^^" Melon? Lol, thanks. xD_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Lol, ja maar als ie haar gaat stalken is ie technisch gezien alweer minder lief. xD_

_Anyway, new chapter, have fun! :D_

* * *

**Fresh Meat**

All too soon, spring break had ended, and I found myself sitting in Spanish class next to Jessica on a Monday morning, the past week already seeming like a long forgotten memory. After the last time I saw Edward, I'd constantly been deliberating whether to look for him or not. At some point I had decided that it was no use. He had asked me to stay away from vampires, and he wouldn't be very happy if I went against his wishes…

"Bella!" Jessica's excited whisper brought me back to planet earth.

Mrs. Goff had asked us to silently read the first page of chapter six, but Jess always did a good job at ignoring orders from teachers.

"What?" I asked in a low voice.

She grinned maniacally at me. "Rumor has it that we're getting some fresh meat at Forks High."

"Really?" I asked, not actually interested.

"Yes… you remember that huge, empty house that we came across during our hiking trip?" She asked, changing the subject faster than I would've thought possible.

"Yeah… what about it?" I replied, my mind wandering back to Edward, who had told me that he lived there with his family.

"My mom said that a new family moved there a few days ago, some rich doctor Cullen with his wife and his adopted kids, what a coincidence, right?" She explained in a whisper.

My stomach felt heavy and my mouth felt dry, because I knew what this meant... He was gone… He had left Forks, just like that. It didn't matter anymore if I wanted to see him again, because I never _would_ see him again.

"Bella?" Jess hissed.

"You're right, coincidence indeed." I muttered, feeling a little defeated.

Jessica nodded. "Anyway, those kids are supposed to attend Forks High… My mom says there are five of them, I'm wondering what they're like." She mused.

Of course Mrs. Stanley, Jessica's mother, would know, she was like the gossip-queen of Forks. If there was a new rumor in town, Mrs. Stanley was the first to spread it. I even suspected that she made up some of the gossip herself…

"Aren't you curious?" Jessica pressed when I didn't answer her.

"Oh right, sure." I mumbled.

She gave me a wary look, not understanding my lack of enthusiasm. I could see why, since most of the students were probably going to be thrilled when they found out about this. Nothing ever happened in Forks, which meant that this was big news. But to be honest, I couldn't care less. The only thing I felt at this moment was a huge disappointment that was nearly consuming me…

xxx

Mike was aimlessly babbling at me during lunch break, but I didn't even try to pay attention. He was just giving me a questioning look, when Jess, who was sitting next to me, saved me by elbowing me in the ribs.

"Look! There comes the fresh meat…" She squeaked in her usual gushy tone. "Is it just me, or are they all incredibly good-looking?" She added, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"Good looking would be a light way to put it." Angela agreed with her.

"They look a little unhealthy if you ask me… kind of pale." Ben mused.

I raised an eyebrow at them, before inconspicuously turning around in my chair to catch a glimpse of the new students, in order to form my own opinion about their looks.

The first one I spotted was a girl. She was tiny, with short, black hair that was sticking in all directions. A boy with honey-blonde hair was walking next to her, rigidly holding on to her hand. Weren't they supposed to be siblings? From what I could tell, it looked as if they were dating…

The two of them walked over to an empty table in the cafeteria, and I spotted another girl and boy following shortly after. The girl was beautiful, and that was an understatement. She had long, wavy blonde hair, and there was no other word to describe her than 'supermodel'. To my surprise, she and the boy walking next to her were also holding hands, this was getting a little weird…

The boy was huge and bulky, and he had black, curly hair. What caught my attention was that they were all unusually pale, probably the reason why Ben had described them as 'unhealthy'. But still, all of them looked exceptionally good for a bunch of normal high school students.

"Hmm, they do look good." I admitted out loud.

"Wait, weren't there supposed to be five of them?" Mike suddenly asked.

"Yeah there are, according to my mom…" Jess answered, seeming a little baffled at the possibility of her mother being wrong about a rumor.

"Perhaps not all of them are old enough to attend high school." Angela offered.

"You're right, there's a chance that…" Jess started, only to stop in the middle of her sentence, her mouth slightly falling open.

"Earth to Jessica." I said in a joking tone, waving my hand in front of her face.

"Oh. My. God…" She said in a rather loud voice when she was able to speak again. "It seems that there _are_ five… And oh my, will you just look at number five." She added in a dreamy tone.

I turned to see what she was talking about, when I almost got a heart attack.

"Edward?" I whispered in disbelief as I watched him walk over to the table where his so-called siblings were sitting. I felt confused, but also oddly relieved, to see him here.

"What did you say?" Jessica asked curiously.

"N- nothing." I stumbled. "A piece of salad… stuck in my throat."

"Yes… he's totally hot, obviously." She said, mistaking my flustered reaction.

I nodded lamely, hoping that she would let it go.

When she turned her attention to Angela, to my huge relief, I got caught up in my own thoughts. Because what the hell was going on here? Was this the change that Edward had mentioned the other day? Well wasn't that just great, a bunch of vampires were invading our school. Including one vampire that I liked. A lot. This wasn't making things any easier. It was also a mystery to me why Edward would do this, surely he could guess that I went to Forks High, seeing as there were no other high schools in the area around Forks. Why would he make this even more tempting for me when he'd told me to keep a healthy distance from vampires? It didn't make any sense at all…

I had unconsciously turned my head to stare at him again, and my breathing hitched when he lifted his head up and returned my stare. His eyes were very light today, and I felt a little bit brave, so I decided to use this opportunity to find out what this was all about.

"What's going on?" I mouthed at him, swiftly glancing back at my friends, to make sure that they didn't notice that I was communicating with the 'new guy'.

He shook his head almost invisibly. "Later." He mouthed back.

It wasn't until now that I realized that his siblings were also staring at me. Except the beautiful girl with the blonde hair… She wasn't staring, she was _glaring_. It was a menacing glare that caused an uneasy feeling to rise in my stomach, and I quickly looked away.

"Bella! Were you just flirting with the hot guy?" Jessica all but squealed at me.

Wonderful, why did this have to be the moment for the normally oblivious Jessica to be so observant?

"No, I wasn't." I blurted out in a reflex. Not a complete lie, what I just did hardly fitted into the category of flirting.

"Oh come on, the two of you were staring at each other." Mike backed up Jessica, sounding more than a little annoyed.

"So what, if they like each other, then let them be." Angela broke in.

I gave Angela a grateful smile, but also did one last attempt to convince them that it was nothing; I didn't want them to get suspicious about Edward. "I just thought that I recognized him from somewhere." I gave them my lame excuse.

"Yeah, like you would easily forget someone like him." Jessica muttered, clearly not buying my story.

"Yes you're right, it wasn't him." I said tiredly, mentally cursing Jessica's persistence.

Angela rolled her eyes and made a face at Jessica. "Now that's all settled, let's give Bella a break."

"Yes let's." I mumbled, turning my attention back to my salad.

The remainder of the lunch break I made sure to keep my eyes safely on my own table, not once looking over at the table where Edward and his 'siblings' were sitting. Not in the last place to avoid more death glares that the blonde girl would shoot at me without a doubt, if I dared to glance in their direction again.

The bell rang, and all of us gathered our stuff before we each went to our own classes. My next class was Biology, and I reluctantly headed for the classroom, not really looking forward to listening to Mr. Banner's rambling for a full hour. But my lips involuntarily turned up into a smile when I entered the crowded classroom and came to the conclusion that Biology had just gotten a hundred times more interesting… For Edward was sitting at the desk next to mine, the only seat in my Biology class that used to be empty.

I slowly walked up to my seat, and when I placed my books on the desk, Edward looked up.

"Hey there." I said hesitantly as I sat down next to him, a little unsure how to act towards him.

To my surprise he gave me a small uneven smile before he answered me with a musical "Hello".

Mr. Banner started class immediately, but I didn't let that discourage me. I ripped a piece of paper from my notebook, and started to write.

'_Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?' _I shoved the note onto Edward's desk, and glanced at him from the corner of my eye to see his reaction.

He briefly looked at the small piece of paper before he started writing.

In a matter of seconds the note was back on my desk. _'I'm afraid this is hardly the place and time to discuss that.'_

I huffed, but swiftly scribbled down a reply. _'Then are you going to explain it to me some other time and place?'_

Again I glanced to the side after I'd handed him the note, and this time, I noticed a slightly amused look on his flawless face.

He shoved the note back to me and I snorted when I opened it. _'Seeing as you're probably going to stalk me until I explain it to you, I suppose I will.'_

"Thanks a lot." I mumbled sarcastically, impossible for teachers and normal students to hear, but loud enough for vampires.

He smirked at me, showing his perfect teeth.

It worked, it had been a piece of cake to convince the stubborn vampire, which meant that I was going to get some answers. After all, he had sort of promised me that he would explain, and I had written proof. And in case he was going to be difficult, I could always switch to the useful stalking-plan that he had mentioned.

* * *

_Thank you for reading!_


	9. Explanations

_Hey guys!_

_Thanks for reviewing; _**AutumnOtts, Porcelain-Shadow, Britt, Gnomegirl13, LoveTeamEdward, Sprinter1 **_and _**Rosalies-Evil-Twin!**

_To AutumnOtts: Yay copper, reminds me of Edward's hair. xD _

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Alice will make her first appearance in the next chapter. :p_

_To Britt: No Jake is not a werewolf, otherwise, he wouldn't take this whole situation so lightly. He's not even sure that Bella's stories about vampires are actually true, it's hard for him to grasp that vampires might be more than just legends. ;)_

_To Gnomegirl13: Yeah you're right. xD Now Edward knows what it's like to be stalked! :D *Evil Laugh* xD_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Lol, melige reviews zijn juist de leukste. :p Goed dat je het niet zag aankomen, ik hoopte al dat het een beetje onverwacht was, dat is dus gelukt. xD Dankjewel! :D_

_To Sprinter1: Yay, you guessed right! :D_

_To Rosalies-Evil-Twin: Yes! She's is a stalker, big time. :p And yeah, I was wondering about the review. xD I read the one with E first, and I was like, E? Who's E, did you review before? xD So that's all cleared up now. :p _

_New chapter, have fun! _

* * *

**Explanations**

At the end of Biology class, Edward had said a rushed goodbye, after promising me one last time that he would explain things to me at a more convenient time and place. I told him that it was fine. Since we were going to the same high school now, he wouldn't be able to avoid me for long.

When I got home after school, I decided to prepare a quick dinner, because Charlie had mentioned this morning that Billy was coming over to visit tonight. It turned out that Jacob also came along, and I felt a little nervous, not sure what to tell him about everything that was going on between me and Edward. I hadn't really talked to him after I had spent the day in the meadow with Edward, and I didn't feel like telling him all the details.

"What's up, Bells, you're so quiet…" Jacob observed.

Charlie and Billy were catching up and watching TV in the living room, and Jacob had joined me in the kitchen, where I was working on my Spanish homework.

"Nothing's wrong, just a headache." I lied without thinking, keeping my eyes fixed on my textbook.

"Oh… you look a bit… I don't know, down I guess."

"No need to worry about me." I assured him, looking up from my homework and giving him a smile.

"Right… So how's it going with, you know, the vampire hunt." He asked, his voice turning into a whisper, in case the parents were eavesdropping.

I bit my lip, not wanting to lie to my best friend. "Ehm… I decided to let it rest for a while, you were right, I have to think it through first." Fantastic, now I also felt guilty because it was actually _Edward_ who had managed to convince me.

He sighed in relief and grinned at me. "I'm glad you've changed your mind."

I shrugged at him. "I'm not saying that I'm never considering it again, but for now, I'm going to let it be."

"Ah… and are the vampires aware of that?" Jake asked in a joking tone.

I laughed nervously. "I'm not sure, I never saw any vampires after that one time that I've told you about."

"Good! Honestly Bells, it's the best for you." He stated.

"Sure... So can we talk about something else now?" I muttered, desperate to change the subject, tired of lying to him.

He smirked at me. "Yeah, great idea. I was dying to talk about cars to someone…"

xxx

Billy and Jacob left around ten, and I went to my room to try and finish my homework since I had mostly been talking to Jake, neglecting the Spanish sentences that I was supposed to translate.

I was sitting at my desk, chewing on my pen, trying to concentrate, but it was no use. Spanish was the last thing on my mind right now. I was just about to call it a night, deciding that maybe it would go better in the morning, when a loud, creepy shrieking sound startled me. I scanned my room and I noticed what had caused the sound; my window was slowly sliding open. The logical part of me told me to keep calm and find out what was going on, but the only thing that I spotted when I stared at the window was the black night, and I loudly screamed in fear.

My plan was to run downstairs and warn Charlie, but the next moment, the window opened a little further and to my astonishment I recognized Edward. He climbed inside and gracefully landed on the wooden floor of my small bedroom. He gave me an apologetic look when he noticed my horrified face.

"Bells, were you just screaming? Are you okay?" My dad's voice sounded from downstairs.

"Yes! I'm fine… I saw a huge… spider." I yelled back, scowling at Edward who was amusedly watching my feeble attempt to lie to my father.

"Do you need any help?" He called.

"No... I'm good, it's dead, I smashed it with my textbook." I quickly blurted out another lie, causing Edward's smirk to grow even wider.

Then it was quiet, so I assumed that my dad had given up, and that was my sign to start a rant at Edward.

"Are you nuts? What are you thinking? You scared the shit out of me! What would Charlie think if he found out that you're climbing through my window!" I hissed at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Your father won't find out, and if he did, I would know." He informed me, tapping his index finger against his forehead."

"Oh… right." I mumbled. "But still, you scared me to death."

He let out a low, humorless chuckle. "Nice choice of words."

"Aren't you funny." I muttered sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry, I'm aware of the fact that this is rather rude, so if you want me to leave, I'll leave. We'll talk another time." He suggested, gazing at me with his hypnotic eyes.

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere mister." I warned him, swiftly walking over to the door to close it, making sure that Charlie wouldn't hear us.

Edward was curiously taking in my room as I put away my books, before I sat down on the edge of my bed, gesturing for him to do the same. He hesitantly sat down next to me, keeping a careful distance between us.

"Do you always visit like this?" I asked in a skeptical tone, trying to break the ice.

He snorted. "No not usually, but I figured that your father wouldn't appreciate it if I visited you after eleven on a school night."

"Good point." I agreed. "So… does this mean that you're going to tell me what's up with you suddenly attending my high school?"

"Partly."

"Partly?" I repeated in annoyance.

"Yes, but the only reason I can't tell you the whole story, is because I don't know it myself yet." He added quickly when he noticed my impatience.

"Do you have to be this cryptic all the time?" I wondered out loud.

He frowned at me but avoided my question. "Do you want to know what's going on or not?"

"Yes! So spit it out already."

"Alright, here is what I know... I told you that Alice can see the future… and she had a vision. A vision that she refuses to share with me, I might add." He sounded irritated at the last part, probably not too happy with his sister at the moment.

"And this mystery vision is the reason why all of you enrolled in high school?" I guessed.

"It's the reason why all of us are actively taking part in the society of Forks from now on, yes. Carlisle, my… father, as I like to call him, he started to work as a doctor in the hospital of Forks. For some reason Alice is convinced that it is necessary for us to come out of hiding, that it's going to be useful later on. "

"Okay… but no one knows this important reason? Your whole family is just blindly going to trust Alice?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at him.

He let out a short laugh and shook his head. "All of us have learned by now that it's no use to bet against Alice… Although the future can change of course, it isn't set in stone, but she's usually right."

I dejectedly stared at my hands. I had no idea what to make of his explanation, but somehow I had a weird feeling that it had something to do with _me_. Edward had told me that it wasn't right for a human to know too much about vampires… What if _I_ was a part of the problem?

"Bella? Are you alright?" His voice made my head snap up in a reflex, and I saw that he was giving me a concerned look, gazing at me from under his impossibly long lashes.

I forced myself to smile at him. "It's fine, I was just wondering… This isn't my fault right? I mean, for interfering with your life, and the lives of your family."

He sighed. "I honestly don't know, Bella, Alice is doing an excellent job at keeping her secret. But even _if_ it has something to do with you, that would mean that it's my fault, not yours. I was the one saving you seven years ago, and I let you walk away even though I was fully aware that you knew about the existence of vampires. Don't blame yourself, please."

"Too late." I mumbled.

He pressed his flawless lips into a tight line and simply gazed at me again. I did the same and we stared at each other for a while. I had expected that I would've grown used to his unnatural beauty by now, but it still didn't cease to amaze me. Everything about him seemed to be perfect, and even if it was only a part of the lure according to him, it still made my heart speed up when he was so close to me, staring at me with those golden eyes.

After a while he broke the comfortable silence. "What are you thinking? It's very frustrating for me, not knowing."

I wasn't able to hide my blush, and with him being a vampire, I assumed that he could easily sense the blood rushing to my face. "I'm not telling you that."

"Is it that horrible?"

"Maybe, either way I'm not going to tell you, you nosy vampire." I complained.

That made him laugh out loud and I reached out my hand in a reflex, to cover his mouth in order to keep him silent, not particularly wanting to explain to my dad why a godlike boy was hanging around in my room at midnight. But then it occurred to me that it might be a stupid move, because even if it didn't feel that way to me, he was still a vampire…

I swiftly pulled my hand away and stumbled an apology. "S-sorry, I wasn't thinking, it must be hard enough as it is, for you to be around me."

I saw that his eyes had darkened slightly, but his features still appeared to be relaxed and he gave me one of the crooked smiles that I liked so much. "It's alright, it's getting easier everyday… being around you." He mused.

I grinned at him. "That's good to know…"

The next thing I knew he took my hand in one of his icy hands and gently placed it against his cheek. I hesitantly stroked his smooth, cold skin as he watched me, all the while seeming perfectly at ease.

"See… that wasn't so hard." He whispered, placing his hand over mine again and intertwining our fingers. "But I should go… I don't need to sleep, but you certainly do."

"Right." I said, reluctantly letting go of his hand.

He got up from the bed and headed for the window. "I'll see you tomorrow." He promised, looking at me over his shoulder.

"Wait!" I called a little too loud when he opened the window.

"Yes?" He gave me a questioning look.

The cold breeze that came in through the window made me shiver and I wrapped my arms around myself as an automatic reaction to the cool air.

"I was wondering… What are we now?" I asked. "I mean, at school… do you want me to ignore you or can I talk to you?" I added when I saw that he looked confused.

"Oh… I guess we can talk to each other, only if you want to, of course." He replied, sounding uncertain.

"Does that mean that we're friends?" I asked hopefully.

He snorted and shook his head in disbelief. "You seriously want to be friends with a vampire?"

"Not any vampire… just you."

"You're unbelievable… " He murmured, the look of amusement never leaving his face. "But to answer your question, I suppose we can be friends."

"Good!"

He silently laughed at my obvious enthusiasm, while he sat down on the windowsill. "Sleep well." He said softly, giving me one last smile before disappearing through my window.

I closed it behind him, glancing into the front yard, but he was already out of sight. Suddenly I recalled the night when I had found that my window was open, though no one had opened it. I was wondering if it had been _his _doing… I would grill him about that, later.

I fell down onto my bed and a grin was plastered on my face, even though Edward's visit hadn't been very enlightening, seeing as he didn't even know himself what Alice had seen. Nonetheless I felt satisfied, for I had accomplished one thing; the grumpy, stubborn vampire wanted to be my friend… Which was a good thing, because no matter how hard I tried to fight it, every day I liked him more and more…

* * *

_Thanks for reading! :D _


	10. Friends

_Hey everyone! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Animal8, LunarFairyPrincess1989, A. Good , AutumnOtts, Sprinter1, Britt, Gnomegirl13, LisaCA, Jm1708**_ and _**Porcelain-Shadow**_! :D You guys are the best! _

_To AutumOtts: Sea green, awesome! Thanks. xD_

_To Sprinter1: Lol, you'll have to wait to find out. ;)_

_To Britt: Your question will be answered in this chapter! Alice is going to explain it all. ;)_

_To Gnomegirl13: Aahw, it's your birthday! Happy Birthday! And a free, digital pony for you, since it was on your list! xD Who cares about the list anyway, sock monkeys rock! 8)_

_To LisaCA: Thanks for catching up, and for all the nice reviews! :D The story behind Bella and Edward will all be cleared up later, so just keep reading. ;) To answer one of your questions; No, Edward didn't fall in love with her right away after he saved her, seven years ago. Because that would be gross, like you said. xD_

_To Jm1708: Welcome back! :D Lol, I had a busy week at work, too, so I feel your pain. xD I can't tell you about any problems that are coming up, because it would give away too much of the story. xD But if it's any consolation, Alice will be in this chapter, and I'm sure you're going to like her. ;) You have a nice weekend, too! _

_Also, something else I would like to clear up; A lot of you seem to like Edward because he is genuinely nice in this story. So I can understand that some people might think that it makes him out of character. But you have to keep in mind, the circumstances in this story are rather different from the ones in Twilight. Edward doesn't have to hide his dark secret from Bella, because she already knows, and he already had seven years to get used to the idea. :p_

_Alright, new chapter, more Alice. :p_

* * *

**Friends**

The next morning, I woke up with an unusual feeling. The feeling of actually being _excited_ to go to school. I would be lying to myself if I tried to make myself believe that this was about anything other than Edward Cullen.

When I was done showering and eating breakfast, I left for school, officially giving up on my Spanish homework; I was out of time to finish it anyway.

I drove into the nearly empty parking lot, and I caught myself looking for him, even if the place was still deserted. I knew that it was sort of pathetic to act like this, but I couldn't help myself. In fact, I had spent most of the night lying awake, unable to sleep because I had discovered the horrible truth: That I was falling in love with a _vampire_. I was such an idiot… Honestly, falling in love with a vampire, who does that? Me of course, because I was _stupid_. Besides, said vampire probably never wanted to be more than friends, which made this whole situation even more miserable…

I was early, and so I got out of my truck and walked over to one of the small benches in front of the school building, hoping that I still had enough time left to at least finish _a part_ of my homework. I sat down on the cold metal, and searched my bag for my books.

I was deeply concentrating on translating sentences, when I almost had a heart attack because a chipper voice echoed against the bricks of the building behind me.

"Hey! Bella, right?"

My head snapped up and for a second I felt utterly confused when I spotted a pale, pixie like girl walking up to me. Until I realized that I had seen her yesterday, during lunch break. She was one of Edward's 'siblings'.

"Ehm hi, yes, it's Bella." I replied, curiously gazing up at her, wondering what she wanted from me.

She gave me a reassuring grin, as if she noticed my confusion, and sat down next to me without a warning. "Edward has told me a lot about you." She blurted out immediately. "And of course I've seen some information myself." She added with a knowing smile.

"Oh… then I guess you're Alice, right?"

"Oh how rude, I didn't even introduce myself." She said, smacking her forehead. "But yes, I'm Alice, Edward's sister."

I nodded and returned her smile without thinking about it, her enthusiasm was almost contagious. "Edward has told me some things about you, too. It's nice to meet you."

She laughed lightly, a laugh that sounded like the echoing of bells. "He did, huh? Nothing bad I hope."

"Not really."

"Excellent! So, are you guys friends?" Alice asked bluntly. The word 'subtle' was obviously missing in her dictionary.

"I guess so…" I informed her.

She gave me a satisfied smile, which surprised me. For some reason, it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest that I knew about her family's secret…

"Alice! What are you doing?" My heart skipped a beat when I suddenly heard his voice, and I looked up to see that he was standing right in front of us.

Alice threw him an innocent look, and shrugged. "I'm making a new friend. I know you saw her first, but you don't mind sharing, right?"

Edward glared at her for a brief moment, but then his gaze turned to me and his eyes instantly grew softer. "Just… don't bother her with your disturbing visions." He was talking to his sister again, and the warning in his voice sounded serious.

Alice got up from the bench and rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, I'm leaving, stop worrying so much. I'll see you soon, Bella." She said, winking at me.

Edward looked irritated, but Alice cheerfully said a goodbye to him, ruffling his hair before she took off.

He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry about that." He muttered as he tentatively sat down next to me.

"It's fine, Alice seems nice… But the two of you don't get along?" I asked.

"Actually we do get along, usually… It's just that lately, she's acting weird. Just now, she was translating the national anthem into Russian, and that is what worries me." He explained

"Keeping you out of her mind sure sounds like a fulltime job."

He snorted. "Yes, consider yourself lucky."

"I do. No offence, but things would be awkward if you were able to read my every thought." I mumbled, blushing again.

"I suppose you aren't going to tell me why?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow at me.

"Not a chance."

The bell rang and I groaned in frustration, causing him to laugh. "That disappointed that you have to end your conversation with me?" He asked with a smirk.

"No, just frustrated because I still didn't manage to finish my homework for Spanish class." I retorted smugly.

"Oh…" Was his defeated reply.

Edward Cullen who wasn't coming up with a clever remark, that certainly was something new… I was the one laughing now and I lightly patted his left hand, which was lying on the bench. "But in case you want to know, I definitely enjoy talking to you."

The right corner of his mouth lifted up slightly and I smiled back at him.

We both got up and he told me that we would talk 'later'. Knowing Edward, that could mean absolutely anything… Even around midnight, climbing through my window… Remembering last night involuntarily made me smile again.

xxx

I didn't get a chance to talk to Edward for the rest of the day. Mr. Banner was absent for the day, which meant that I didn't see him in Biology. During lunch I did notice that Edward seemed to be in an argument with his blonde sister. They were scowling at each other, and it looked as if they were silently communicating. One time I swore that she was glaring at me again, so I assumed that this was about me.

To my annoyance, it didn't escape the attention of my nosy friends that I was staring at him again, and they bothered me with more tiresome questions. I subtly tried to dodge them, one at a time, but when Edward also started to stare back at me, it was getting sort of impossible to keep denying that something was going on between the two of us. We had to make up some sort of story, sooner or later.

After I got home I went through my usual routine of cooking and doing some chores, and nothing unusual happened, until after dinner…

I was upstairs in my room, this time determined to catch up on my Spanish homework, when Charlie suddenly called from downstairs.

"Bells! You have a visitor."

I hadn't expected anyone, so I was curious who wanted to see me. No need to say that a small part of me had been hoping for Edward to visit me again, but surely he wouldn't have used the front door like a normal person…

"Right, I'll be down in a sec." I yelled my reply.

I sprinted down the stairs, and was highly surprised when I saw that Alice Cullen was standing in our kitchen, animatedly talking to my dad, who was even cracking a smile.

"Oh, hello Alice." I said, doing my best to hide my surprise and sound casual, most likely failing miserably.

She turned away from Charlie and grinned at me. "Hey Bella! You didn't forget that I was coming over tonight, did you?" She said, feigning hurt.

I raised my eyebrows at her when my dad wasn't looking and she made a face at me, mouthing the words "Play along".

Charlie gave me a wary look. "Did you? Forget, I mean?" He asked

"Oh... No, of course not… Alice is going to help me…" And my inspiration ended right there, I was such a worthless liar.

"With that impossible English project." Alice finished my sentence.

"Yes!" I squeaked out in a too high voice.

"Ah, right. Well, good luck with that, kids. It was nice to meet you, Alice." Charlie said, smiling at her before departing, making his way back to his beloved television.

"So… let's go upstairs, that project isn't going to finish itself." I suggested in a mock cheerful tone, giving Alice another confused glance.

She snorted and nodded, and I led her up the stairs and to my room.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" I asked as soon as the door was safely closed behind us.

"Nothing special." She assured me. "I just wanted to have a little talk to you, about my brother."

"Oh… then why the play?" I demanded.

"Because you looked like you were seeing a ghost when you spotted me, I didn't want your father to get suspicious."

"Right… but next time, remember that it's not a very smart plan to ask the most pathetic liar in the world to perform a play in front of her dad." I informed her.

She laughed out loud. "Hmm yeah… thanks for the tip. Surprisingly, I hadn't seen that one coming."

Alice turned out to be a lot more carefree than her brother, for without hesitating, she sat down on my bed and I followed her example. I felt a little nervous, since I had no idea what to expect. Maybe she was going to tell me to stay away from her brother… Perhaps she _did_ think that I was a threat to the vampire world, despite her friendly attitude towards me.

"Okay, since you're here to talk, let's talk." I broke the silence, wanting to get it over with.

Alice must have sensed my uneasiness, because she flashed me an encouraging smile, her eyes, the same color as Edward's, still sincerely friendly. "It's nothing bad, don't worry."

I let out a small breath of relief and relaxed a little. "That's a good thing… So let's hear it."

"Let me ask you a question first." She started. "What do your feminine instincts tell you about what's going on between you and Edward?"

That threw me off for a second. Was this her subtle way of asking me how I felt about Edward? "I-I'm not sure. We're… friends." I stuttered.

"Friends?" Alice repeated in a skeptical tone, staring intently at me.

Note to self: Lying to Alice is not an option. "Fine! So maybe I like him as more than a friend… Not like it matters, Edward doesn't see me in that way..."

"The hell he doesn't!" Alice exclaimed.

"Sure… because someone as perfect as Edward would definitely fall for a plain, boring human like me." I retorted sarcastically.

For a moment Alice was silent, and when she spoke her expression was completely serious. "Whether you believe it or not… yes he does."

It felt like my heart stopped beating for a second. "What? Why? He's a vampire for crying out loud! I'm a human! This doesn't make any sense at all." I rambled, practically feeling the same dismay that I had felt the day my mother had told me that Santa Claus wasn't real, when I was six years old.

Alice sighed but wasn't discouraged by my small rant. "Love doesn't always make sense, Bella…"

"But…" I mumbled, still speechless. "But, Edward…"

"Cares for you… more than he has ever cared for anything in his… existence." Alice filled me in. "I've known him for a long time, but I've never seen him like this... That's why I came here to find out how you felt… I want things to work out between the two of you."

I gave her an incredulous look, a little shocked by how supportive she was. "You don't care that I'm… a human?"

She shrugged. "No, you're nice, and you're what Edward wants, so why would I care about that one insignificant, little detail?"

I couldn't believe my ears… I was what Edward wanted? "Wow… this is, difficult for me to grasp." I admitted.

Alice smirked at me. "Yeah, it's not every day you hear that a vampire is in love with you, I can imagine that you're a little flabbergasted."

I couldn't help but smile widely. "It sure is something else, I'll give you that." I said jokingly. "But… what do I do now?" I added after a short silence, immediately serious again.

"Nothing." She answered confidently. "Just give him some time, this is all new to him. I don't think he has ever felt anything like this before, just have some patience with him."

"I can do patience… He's worth the wait." I said, which earned me a small squeal from Alice.

"Perfect, that's what I wanted to hear! Oh this is going to be so much fun! You're going to be my new sister!" Alice blurted out excitedly.

I snorted at her enthusiasm. "I'm sure it will be fun… Oh and Alice…" I hesitated for a moment, deliberating how to bring up this subject. I had to do it, this was one particular thing that I wanted to get straight.

"Yes?" She encouraged me.

"I'm pretty sure that you know why I was trying to find vampires in the first place… but I want you to know that I truly like Edward… It's not like I want…" I trailed off.

Again, Alice smiled that knowing smile. "Yes, I know that you were interested in eternal life… But I also know that it's not that high on your list of priorities anymore."

"Good… You have to believe me when I tell you that this is about Edward, not about… wanting to become a vampire."

"Oh I believe you… otherwise, I wouldn't have supported this relationship in the first place." She assured me with a wink.

It felt like a huge weight was falling off of me, and I was suddenly thankful that Alice came over to have a talk."Thank you, Alice." I said sincerely. "For everything."

"You're more than welcome… Give my brother some time to get used to the idea, it will work out fine."

All of the sudden I realized something else, and my curiosity made me bold enough to ask. "Wait, was this what your vision was about?"

Alice burst out into laughter and nodded. "Yeah I saw it coming for a while, and I thought it would be best to hide this from him, before he would find out what was going on between the two of you and make a run for it… He can be such a coward sometimes. That's why he is very irritated with me lately, but I don't mind, he is going to thank me in the end." She stated.

"Hopefully."

"Trust me, Bella, I have a fairly good idea about the future."

"I bet you do…" I mused, already having another question in mind that I wanted to ask her. "So… can I ask you… You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, of course… Can I ask you why your family is suddenly coming out of hiding? Edward said it also had something to do with a vision you had." I asked hesitantly.

"Oh sure, although I think you can guess why…" She said, but she continued anyway. "I saw the future… I knew that Edward wasn't going to be able to stay away from you. Just like you wouldn't be able to stay away from Edward in the end. What's going on between you guys is already complicated enough without the two of you getting difficult questions from your father… and the rest of Forks for that matter. It would be weird if you showed up with a guy who was your age but didn't attend high school, or even live in Forks, as far as the people of this town are concerned. This will make it a lot easier to keep up a believable charade."

"Wow, you're right… I hadn't even thought about that... This might come in handy, a sister who is a psychic." I joked, slightly awed by how well she had prepared this.

"I know right!"

I grinned at her. "If I ever need any help with making plans for the future, I know who to turn to."

"You can ask my help anytime you want… Which reminds me… do you want any help with that Spanish homework? I mean since I'm already here." She offered.

"That would be very helpful." I admitted.

She clapped her hands and jumped up from the bed. "Great! This is going to be our first sister-bonding-time!"

xxx

I was in a state of pure bliss while Alice helped me to translate some complicated sentences. I loved the grumpy, annoying vampire, and according to his psychic sister, there was a good chance that he loved me back. And I could already tell that Alice and I were going to get along, which was also a plus.

There was only one thing that had been nagging at me for the last week or so…

Because at this point it was time to tell my best friend what was going on. I wanted to take my time to gather up some courage first, but I couldn't put this off much longer. And it was needless to say that Jacob was going to be everything but happy when I told him that I was in love with a _vampire_…

* * *

_That's it for today, see you guys tomorrow. :)_


	11. Coming Clean

_Hey folks! :D_

_Sorry for not updating yesterday, failfictiondotnet wouldn't let me log in. x_x_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**LoveTeamEdward, Sprinter1, Gnomegirl13, AutumnOtts**_ and _**Jm1708! **_*Hugs all her reviewers* :D_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Haha, nee ik denk niet dat je Jacob leuk gaat vinden. :p Maar Bella laat zich niet gek maken door hem. [/spoiler] xD Ik ben zelf trouwens ook totaal geen Jacob fan, ik ben ook 100% team Edward, maar Jake was gewoon nodig voor het verhaal. xD_

_To Sprinter1: Yeah, Rose will be Rose. :p_

_To AutumnOtts: Rofl, isn't cornflower supposed to be blue? xD Thanks anyway. :D_

_To Jm1708: You're right, technically Bella doesn't have to tell Jake anything, but she feels very guilty keeping things from him, because after all, he is her best friend._

_Alright, new chapter, have fun!_

* * *

**Coming Clean**

Coward; that was the perfect word to describe me. A few days had passed since Alice's visit, and several times I had almost called Jacob. _Almost_, because I always chickened out at the point where the phone was already in my hand, and I was about to dial his number.

He was my best friend, I had never kept anything from him, and I don't think I could look him in the eye the next time I saw him, without feeling an enormous amount of guilt. Lying was one thing, but lying to your best friend was something else altogether.

It was a rainy Saturday morning, and I was sitting in one of the old kitchen chairs, staring at the phone that was resting on the table in front of me. I was making up all kinds of excuses while I kept gazing at the phone.

There was not much to tell really… It wasn't like Edward and I were more than friends at the moment. So technically I wasn't dating a vampire… yet.

This week it had become clear that Alice had been right about her brother, he needed time. In the past few days he had talked to me occasionally, during biology or when we happened to come across each other in the parking lot or in-between classes. He always seemed very interested in me, asking me lots of questions about my life, but every time, the struggle was present in his eyes. As if a part of him wanted to talk to me, while another part wanted to run away and never come back. Still, I decided to trust Alice. If she thought that he truly liked me, then I just had to be patient.

"Come on, you can do it!" I mumbled to myself, breaking out of my thoughts and picking up the phone again.

Talking to yourself was never a good sign, I was truly losing it… I dialed the number of the Blacks and this time, I stayed on the line long enough to actually give them a chance to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" Jacob's voice sounded through the phone.

"Hey… It's me."

"Oh hey, Bella! Haven't heard you in a while!"

Ouch, more guilt, great. "Yeah, I know, that's why I wanted to come over… if that's alright."

"Sure! If you come over right now, we can have lunch together." He suggested. "My dad's fishing with your father and Harry Clearwater anyway, I could use some company."

"Why not. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." I promised.

"Alright, in that case I'll start making some pancakes!"

"Sounds great, bye Jake." I muttered before hanging up the phone.

I sighed, searching the room for the keys of my old truck. This wasn't going to be a nice conversation, that was for sure. But there was no point in putting it off any longer, I reminded myself again. Things would only get worse over time. Because at some point, there might be a chance that I _was_ actually dating the vampire. Telling Jake that I was friends with a vampire wasn't nearly as bad as telling him that I was in love with a vampire. Even if I was… I should probably save that part for later.

xxx

I turned into the muddy, unpaved driveway that led to the small, cozy house of the Blacks. I parked my truck and made my way to the front door. Before I could do so much as knock, the door swung open and Jacob was grinning widely at me.

"Perfect timing! Lunch is ready." He announced cheerfully.

"That's good, I'm starving." I lied. I wasn't very hungry, too nervous to even think about food in the first place.

I followed Jacob into the kitchen, which was even smaller than Charlie's tiny kitchen at home. A delicious smell invaded my nose as soon as I entered the room.

Jake gestured for me to sit down at the table, and while I did as he asked, he walked over to the kitchen sink, where a huge plate filled with pancakes was standing. He placed the plate in the middle of the table, and sat down across from me.

"Homemade pancakes." He stated proudly.

"They smell great, Jake." I complimented him.

He grinned as he started to attack the stack of pancakes. "That's what I thought!"

I slowly put a pancake on my plate, looking at Jacob who was already chewing down his pancakes in a high tempo.

I snorted at the sight and slowly shook my head in disbelief. "How long has it been since you ate something?"

He looked up and made a face at me. "This morning."

"From the looks of it, I would say a month ago."

"Funny, Bells." He said sarcastically. "I can't help it that I have a healthy appetite!"

"Yeah, there's clearly nothing wrong with your appetite." I teased him.

I took a bite from my own pancake, wondering how I was going to broach the subject that I wanted to talk about. Well 'wanted' was a big word, 'had to' was more like it. Jake was still uninterruptedly scooping down more pancakes, and I was on the edge of chickening out again. Until he surprised me by bringing up the dreaded subject himself.

He looked up from his plate again and smiled at me. "So… still positive that you don't want to turn into a bloodsucker anymore?" He asked in a conversational tone.

"Yeah, positive." I blurted out immediately. I could feel that my face was turning the color of a tomato.

Jake questioningly raised an eyebrow at me, dropping his fork for the first time since he had started eating. "That's good to hear… but then why does your face tell me something different?"

Busted, chickening out was out of the question now. "I'm not chasing after vampires anymore…" I decided to bring the good news first. Now I would have to tell him the reason _why_ I didn't have to chase after them anymore… Namely the fact that a bunch of them were going to my high school now, including the beautiful boy that Jacob surely wouldn't want to hear about.

"I believe you… but still, you look like you committed a crime. Care to share?" He pressed, never taking his eyes off of me.

"I didn't murder anyone, no need to worry about that." I joked, trying to lighten the mood. "It's just that… I lied when I told you that I had only talked to a vampire that one time during the camping trip... There were some other times…"

"So that means that you _are_ still going after them." He immediately accused me. "Vampires are dangerous, Bells! You're a smart girl, I'm sure you can understand that…"

"No, that's not it… I didn't go after them." I interrupted him. "The boy that I told you about… he and his family, they're attending Forks High now…"

Jacob's face turned into a mask of horror, that soon changed into a look of disbelief. "Vampires going to high school? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"No… I've never been more serious."

"Why the hell would they do that? Isn't that dangerous? Think about all those kids walking around there…" Jacob ranted, sounding deeply shocked.

"No… the Cullens don't hunt humans. None of them. They only hunt animals, I've told you before." I tried to refresh his memory.

"So what? The scent of all that human blood… It's probably still very tempting to them." Jacob pointed out the inevitable truth.

"I know… but it's alright, they're all in control of their thirst, otherwise, they would never take the risk... None of them want to hurt humans." I defended the Cullens.

He gave me a disconcerted glance, his brows furrowed. "And is there a reason _why_ those vampires are complicating the lives of everyone living in the city of Forks?"

I sighed and nervously bit my bottom lip, this was one question that I couldn't honestly answer without bringing in the love-part. "I'm not sure."

"But you are avoiding them as much as possible?" He pried.

"Ehm, well, I wanted to talk to you about that… Me and Edward, and Alice… we're friends." There, I said it!

"What? You're making friends with vampires now?" He asked incredulously.

"I didn't plan to… it just happened… And I like them." I muttered.

"You _like_ them? They're bloodsuckers! But we both know that you don't care about that, huh? Because something tells me that you still want to become one of them yourself!" He spat out angrily.

"Wow, that's great Jake! It's good to know that you think so much of me." I snapped back at him. "You might find it hard to believe, but I want to be friends with them because they're nice!"

"_Nice_? You're talking about vampires here!" He all but yelled.

"Vampires who are good persons, but you've never even talked to them, so you wouldn't know!" I also raised my voice, and I was getting angrier by the second.

"You should hear yourself talk!"

"Well that's how I feel! And if you have a problem with that, then that's your problem!" I stated determinedly. "Oh and by the way, I am _in love_ with Edward Cullen." I blurted out in a wave of anger.

Jacob became instantly silent, and he gaped at me.

I covered my mouth with my hand, realizing what I had just confessed in the heat of the moment. I hadn't meant to tell him _that_, but it had simply slipped out.

"Wow…" He said warily when he was able to speak again.

"Wow?" I asked, confused.

"Turns out that I wasn't too far off the mark when I talked about the two of you getting married." He stated sarcastically in a hard tone.

I groaned in frustration and swiftly got up from my chair. "That's it! I'm leaving!"

"Yes, I think that would be best." Jacob said seriously, nearly glaring at me.

"Fine, call me when you're not being a jerk anymore." I said, heading for the front door.

"Will do… And don't forget to send me an invitation to the wedding!" He called after me in a sneering tone.

I ignored his last comment, forcefully slamming the door shut behind me and running up to my truck. I got in and started the engine, driving away as fast as the old vehicle was able to move, keeping in the tears that were threatening to escape me. When Jacob's house was safely out of sight, I parked the truck on the side of the road and I started sobbing.

This was not what I had expected. I had been prepared for an awkward and uneasy conversation, but the least I had hoped for was some understanding from my best friend… Unfortunately, it turned out that a little understanding was too much to ask.

I let out another loud sob and rested my head against the steering wheel, letting the tears flow freely.

I didn't know how long I had been sitting there, when a soft tap against the window made me look up. The last person in the world that I had expected to show up here, was standing right next to my truck, and my breathing hitched as I looked into his topaz eyes. I quickly tried to brush some of the tears away, before opening my door. For a second I wondered how he'd found me, but then it occurred to me that Alice had probably seen me.

"Bella, are you alright?" He asked in a frantic voice, gazing intently at me.

"I'm fine, Edward… I'm not… physically hurt." I assured him in a trembling voice, turning around in my seat so that I was facing him.

He shook his head and sighed. "I don't care _how_ you're hurt, Bella, even if it's emotionally, you're hurt all the same. I hate seeing you like this, how anyone could hurt you in the first place is beyond me." He murmured in his velvety voice, tentatively reaching out his hand to brush away some of the remaining tears on my cheeks.

I felt an overwhelming urge to throw myself into his arms, but stopped myself in time. Surely it would be hard for him to be that close to me, especially when I threw myself at him without a warning… So to say that his next move took me by surprise would be an understatement...

His golden eyes carefully watched me as he leaned closer to me, and he cautiously put his arms around me. That was all the encouragement I needed, and I locked my arms around his neck, burying my face into his shoulder. More tears were spilling out and I was pretty sure that I was soaking his designer shirt, but I didn't care. His hands were gently stroking my back, and I inhaled deeply, breathing in his calming scent. Nothing had ever felt this safe and comforting, and I never wanted to let him go, but slowly I started to feel better and I reluctantly let go of him, not wanting to make things any harder for him than necessary.

He curiously looked at me, and brushed a strand of hair out of my face with a feather light touch. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, leaning back slightly to look me in the eye.

I shrugged. "Just my best friend who is being a jerk."

"Ah, I see… What did you do in order for him to be allowed to hurt you like this?" He replied, clearly struggling to keep his voice calm.

"It's a long story… I'll tell you later. Right now, I just want to forget about it for a while." I admitted.

He nodded in understanding. "Very well, but the next time someone hurts you, he or she will be in serious trouble." The indifferent tone that he used seemed to make his words all the more threatening.

"Thanks, Edward." I whispered.

"Don't thank me, that's what friends are for, right?" He said, forcing a small smile onto his pretty lips.

"Right." I agreed, giving him a watery smile in return.

"Why don't you let me drive you home." He offered.

I nodded. "I would like that."

By now I had calmed down, and I was perfectly capable of driving myself again, but I wanted to drag out my time with Edward for as long as possible. I moved over to the passenger seat and Edward gracefully got into the truck and drove me home. I frequently sneaked a look at him while he was driving, and one time he caught me, gazing back at me and smiling crookedly, making my heart go wild.

All of this made me realize that it was Jacob who was wrong, and not me. Because Edward truly was a good person. I didn't think that I had ever met someone who was as caring and sweet as him… And that was all that counted, right? What did it matter that this kind and caring guy happened to be a vampire?

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_Thanks for reading, new update tomorrow!_


	12. Lunch Date

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you so much for reviewing; _**LoveTeamEdward, Porcelain-Shadow, LisaCA, AutumnOtts, Jm1708, Gnomegirl13, A. Good **_ and _**Sprinter1**_! :D *Free, digital hugs*_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Ja precies, ik denk kom, laat Edward ook eens een move maken, waarom moet het altijd Bella zijn. xD_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Aahw that really sucks, I can imagine how much that hurts. *Hugs* And a free, digital Edward to comfort you!_

_To LisaCA: Yay, you caught up. xD Thanks for all the reviews! Yeah, Alice is sort of cheating here, making friends with Bella behind Edward's back. :p I'm glad you liked it! :) And you're right, Jake is just concerned about his friend… _

_To AutumnOtts: Yes! Lavender is supposed to be purple, so that's good! :D Thanks. xD_

_To Jm1708: Yeah, Jacob was kind of an ass here. xD But like I said, he is worried about his friend, and you're right, he's also jealous. xD_

_To Gnomegirl13: Jake will probably stay human during the story. xD_

_To Sprinter1 (and all the other people who are excited about the new movie xD): Yeah, the release of New Moon is coming closer, and the sad thing is, I probably won't see the movie until it comes out on DVD, or something like that. xD I was supposed to go see it with two friends on the release date, but it turns out that they are both broke. Seeing as I don't know anyone else who is even remotely interested in Twilight, I'm afraid it will take a while before I actually get to see the movie. ^^"  
_

_Anyway, everything in my life seems to go that way lately. All the fun things get cancelled, and at the same time, more and more stupid things keep coming up. Alright, enough with all the complaining. xD _

_New chapter, have fun!_

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**Lunch Date**

Jacob didn't call me the night after our argument, or the next day, for that matter. Not that I had truly expected that he would contact me, but a part of me was silently hoping that he would change his mind…

On Monday I was still feeling a little guilty, but I decided to let it rest for now. If Jacob wanted to act like a stubborn jerk, who was I to stand in his way? He should by all means go ahead; I was done with feeling miserable because of a fight that wasn't even really my fault. All I ever wanted was to be honest with him, and look what that honesty had cost me.

"Bella, were you planning on eating your lunch here?" Jessica's voice took me back to reality.

I glanced around to find out that trig class had already ended without me even noticing, and the room was nearly empty. Jessica was standing next to my desk, giving me a questioning look.

"Oh, I must have dozed off." I mumbled.

"Yeah, you seem a little out of it lately." Jess observed.

I shrugged. "I have a lot on my mind at the moment, that's all… Why don't you go ahead, I'll see you at lunch."

"Okay, see you." She said as she gave me one last, wary glance before skipping out of the room.

I quickly gathered my books and got up, but almost tripped over my own two feet when I stepped into the hallway and noticed Edward, who was casually leaning against the wall across the hall. He walked up to me as soon as he spotted me and a goofy smile spread across my face.

"Hey there, I believe we have a lunch date." Edward stated as soon as he was in my hearing range.

"Is that so?" I replied teasingly. "I don't recall that we made plans for lunch."

"No we didn't, I'm asking you now." He informed me, giving me one of his most tempting smiles. Not that he needed to do that in order to convince me, I was more than happy to have lunch with him.

"Alright… Well since I don't have any other plans, I suppose I can sit with you at lunch." I mused, the goofy grin on my face still in place.

"Good, let's go then." He said, and it caught my attention that he sounded unusually cheerful.

The two of us walked in the general direction of the cafeteria, and when we entered the busy lunchroom, I could swear that I actually heard some jaws drop. Most of the students were staring at us, including my friends. Except for Mike Newton, who was scowling instead of staring.

"Did I just grow a tail or something like that?" I asked rhetorically, rather annoyed with the nosy students of Forks High.

Edward chuckled. "The trick is to ignore them, they're either jealous or desperately looking for some fresh gossip. Believe me, I would know."

"It's annoying all the same." I complained as we both stepped up to the food counter.

Edward took a lunch tray that he started to fill with all sorts of food.

"Why do you take all that food when you don't even eat?" I asked in surprise.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not for me, silly girl, it's for you."

"You don't have to pay for my food." I argued.

"Yes I do. I said it was a lunch date, and since you can probably understand that I'm rather old fashioned, it means that I'm buying you lunch."

"Fine." I huffed in defeat.

We found an empty table in a quiet corner of the room, and as we both sat down I could feel the eyes of my classmates burning in my back. It was definitely time to make up a story to explain how Edward and I had become friends all of the sudden… The strangest part for my fellow students was probably that we rarely spoke to each other at school, except for the Biology classes. There was a good chance that they wanted a detailed explanation on how we had come across each other outside of school… More lying was going to be involved, that was for sure.

"Want to tell me what you're worrying about?" Edward's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked up from the pizza I'd been eating and gazed into his eyes, which were almost a liquid gold today. "Just thinking about what I'm going to tell my friends about us." I told him honestly, unable to keep my mouth shut when he used those hypnotic eyes on me.

"Ah, yes, they're dying to know what's going on… And the Newton boy is currently considering to come over here and punch me in the face." Edward sounded nothing but amused.

I could see why, and I snorted at the thought of Mike picking a fight with Edward. "That would be a very painful experience for Mike." I said dryly.

Edward chuckled lightly. "No doubt about it." He agreed. "Your friend Jessica on the other hand, has different plans with me..."

I demonstratively held up my hand to stop him. "Gross, Edward. I don't want to know…"

"Me neither, but I don't have much of a choice." He reminded me.

"Yeah… Isn't it horrible, hearing people's thoughts all the time?" I asked.

He had a distant look in his eyes for a brief moment, as he stared over at the table where my friends were sitting. "Sometimes it can be annoying, but it can also be very useful at times." He finally answered, turning his attention back to me.

"Hmm, that's true… Maybe you should just try to ignore the thoughts of my classmates… Like you said, maybe they're just jealous." I muttered, also sneaking a brief glance at them.

Mike was staring at us again, and the look on his face became more frustrated with the second. I suppressed the urge to stick out my tongue at him and swiftly turned back to Edward.

"They will get used to the idea." Edward said, giving me an encouraging smile.

"They'll have to." I stated simply. "Which reminds me, what does your family think about this?" I added, gesturing to the two of us with my index finger. I hadn't dared to look over at the table where Edward's siblings were sitting, afraid that I would get more icy looks from the blonde girl.

"They also need some time to get used to the idea." Edward muttered, gazing behind me, where his family was sitting.

"Your family doesn't approve…" It was more a statement than a question.

"No, no." He blurted out immediately. "That's not it… They're a little concerned about the consequences that this relationship might have… A vampire and a human, you know, it is kind of complicated." His eyes found mine again, and there was a hint of sadness in them now.

I laughed without humor. "Tell me about it…" I dropped my eyes to my lunch, avoiding his hypnotizing gaze. "But seriously, if I'm making things too difficult for you, please tell me. I don't want to come between you and your family… Especially your sister, I think she doesn't like me."

Edward quirked an eyebrow at me and snorted. "Rosalie? She just has some issues of her own, it has nothing to do with you." He said dismissively, making it clear that this was all that he would share with me about this particular subject, for the moment.

I didn't want to push him, so I would try to ask him about it later. Although I could understand that his family wasn't too happy about this... _My_ own best friend also had a problem with the human-vampire relationship that was going on here, so I would be a hypocrite if I blamed _his_ family for not welcoming me with open arms... Oh no, how did Jacob end up in my thoughts? The feeling of guilt was stalking me again.

"What are you thinking?" Edward asked curiously.

I shifted in my seat, not sure what to tell him. "Thinking about Jake, you know, the friend that I told you about." I mumbled.

Edward's eyes turned darker, and the expression on his face turned blank. "Oh yes, have you smoothed things out with him?"

"Not really, I haven't talked to him since our argument." I admitted.

"Will you tell me what it was about?" He asked, seductively gazing up at me from under his lashes.

My mind turned blank and I couldn't do anything but stare at the liquid gold that was dancing in his eyes.

"I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to." He added after a short silence, misinterpreting my reaction.

"No, sorry, I want to tell you, it's just that… you did that dazzling thing again and I…"

He let out a loud chuckle and interrupted me. "_Dazzling_ thing?"

I blushed furiously as I realized what I had said, and automatically ducked my head.

"Don't hide away, I like the color of your blush, it's beautiful." He said sincerely.

I nearly choked at his words. Had Edward Cullen just called me beautiful? I slowly lifted up my head and he smiled at me.

"Are you going to tell me now?" He asked, his velvety voice sounding persuasive.

"Yes… well, Jacob… he knows…" I was almost whispering.

Edward frowned in confusion. "Knows what?"

"About… vampires…"

"You told him? I assumed that he was under the impression that your vampire hunts were merely a game." Edward sounded a little shocked.

"I'm sorry… He's the only one I've ever told… I really wanted to keep your secret but… I was only ten years old when it happened and after a while I needed to share it with someone, anyone. I mean, vampires… I thought I was losing my mind." I rambled out my excuse to him.

He sighed and shook his head. "Please don't worry about that, it's fine, I understand… As long as your friend doesn't tell anyone else."

"I don't think he would ever do that." I assured him.

Edward forced a smile onto his face and nodded. "It's alright… But I don't quite understand what it has to do with the two of you fighting."

"He… he doesn't approve. I guess he's a little afraid that I'm still after immortality." I confessed. "He thinks I should stay away from vampires."

"Well, your friend isn't completely wrong, there." Edward mused. "It would be in your best interest to stay away from me."

"You want me to stay away from you?" I asked, horrified by the idea.

"No. That's not what I said, I only said that it would be _best_ if you stayed away from me."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but that isn't going to happen."

"And the selfish part of me is thankful for that." He told me.

"I wasn't aware that you even had selfish parts." I said skeptically.

He raised his perfect eyebrows at me, and I could see that he was going to object to my statement, but he was interrupted by the bell that announced that lunch break had ended.

I snorted. "Saved by the bell, come on, let's go watch that interesting video that Mr. Banner was planning on torturing us with today."

"Yes, you know what, I'll see you in Biology, I think some of your friends want to have a short talk with you first." Edward informed me, gesturing to Angela and Jessica who were waiting at the entrance of the cafeteria.

I sighed in exasperation. "Yeah, you would know." I muttered. "Great… I'll see you in class, after I've told them some brilliant excuse that I haven't even figured out yet."

"I'm sorry." He said softly, giving me an apologetic look before he headed for the exit.

I followed after him, tentatively walking up to Jess and Angela. I was just trying to figure out how to start, when Jess let out a loud squeal.

"Oh my god! You're dating Edward Cullen! When did that happen?" She babbled.

Angela also smiled, but luckily she wasn't nearly as chipper as Jessica. "I didn't know the two of you were close." She said in a casual tone, doing a better job at hiding her curiosity than Jess did.

"Oh, we're not actually… dating." I blurted out quickly. "We're just friends. Yeah… he asked me to help him with his Biology homework after school, and one thing led to another and then…" I trailed off.

"We want all the details!" Jessica squeaked.

"Ehm, sure, but later, we'll be late for class." I said, eager to make my escape.

"Bella's right." Angela agreed to my relief.

"I'll talk to you guys later." I promised them.

We said our goodbyes and I hurried to the Biology classroom, proud of the very believable excuse that I had made up as I went along. It was good to know that Angela and Jessica at least didn't seem to have a problem with me and Edward being friends; it certainly helped that they didn't know that the guy was vampire.

I only wished that the same could be said for his family. Of course Edward had a point, a vampire and a human… that was something you didn't see every day. They would get used to it eventually… They had to, because I didn't want to come between Edward and his family, but I also didn't want his family to stand in the way of what he and I could have...

* * *

_Thanks for reading! New update tomorrow! :D_


	13. Love

_Hey dear readers! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**LisaCA, Rosalies-Evil-Twin, Porcelain-Shadow, Britt, Gnomegirl13, Sprinter1, A. Good, AutumnOtts,****JM1708 **_and_** LoveTeamEdward**_! :D You guys are awesome. 8)_

_To LisaCA: Lol, thanks for the support, but I probably won't go see it alone. xD_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Aahw, sounds like you have a bad week. :O Get well soon! :)_

_To Britt: Funny you should ask, your question will be answered in this chapter. :p_

_To AutumnOtts: Yellow-Green… That sounds like a combination of yellow and green. :O Nothing gets past me, does it. x'D Thank you! xD_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Lol ja, ik weet wel zeker dat je dit hoofdstuk leuk gaat vinden. xD_

_Alright, new chapter, I think most of you are going to like this one. ^^_

* * *

**Love**

It was after one am, and I was in my room sitting at my desk, working on my English paper. I had more than enough time left to finish it, but I had some trouble sleeping. That's why I had decided to do something useful with the extra time in which I would normally stare at my ceiling while lying in my bed.

A lot of things were bothering me at the moment, and Jacob was one of them. It had been almost a week now since I had last seen him, and I still hadn't heard from him. I started to feel a bit worried, and I had briefly considered calling him. But then I had reminded myself that _he_ was the problem, not me. Or at least, that's what I was trying to convince myself…

Another problem that was bothering me was Edward, I didn't know what to make of his behavior. After that first time that he had asked me to sit with him at lunch, I sat with him almost every day. I truly enjoyed talking to him, and I even sort of liked the interrogations that he was subjecting me to, because they made me feel like I was the most interesting person in the world. I normally didn't like talking about myself, but sharing my life-story with Edward didn't seem so bad. That was the reason why lunch break was now my favorite time of day, but I was getting more and more unsure if Edward felt the same. He could be so confusing sometimes. One moment he spoke like he wanted to give me the universe, and ten minutes later, he was telling me for the umpteenth time that a vampire and a human being friends was a bad idea. I was seriously thinking about having another talk with Alice, to see if she knew what was going on with her brother.

I let my pen fall to the desk, giving my right hand a break from all the writing, and giving my brain some more time to worry. I was deep in thought, and so I nearly fell out of my chair when I heard the sound of my window sliding open. A few weeks ago, that would've scared me, but by now I was slowly getting used to it.

"Hey Edward, couldn't wait until tomorrow to see me?" I joked as he quietly closed the window behind him. My mood brightened instantly, because this had to mean that he enjoyed being with me.

"Something like that." He replied in a casual tone, leaning against the windowsill. It looked as if his eyes were almost glowing in the dimly lit room, and the expression on his pretty face was relaxed. "Don't you have to sleep?"

I was relieved that he seemed to be in a good mood, and not in one of his dark 'we-shouldn't-be-together' moods. "No… I couldn't sleep… So… what brings you here in the middle of the night?" I asked, turning around in my chair so that I was completely facing him.

"Actually… I came here to kidnap you." He informed me, grinning mischievously at me, showing his perfectly white teeth.

Well… that certainly took me by surprise… And he had definitely noticed my astonished reaction because he was smirking at me.

"Really?" I replied playfully when I had composed myself.

"Only with your permission, of course." He said, smiling unevenly.

"Sure… you can kidnap me any day, Mr. Cullen. So where are you taking me?"

He chuckled. "That is for me to know and for you to find out."

I groaned in irritation. "I hate surprises."

"You are going to love this one." He stated confidently. "Or at least, I'm sort of counting on that." He added quickly, sounding a little less sure now.

"Alright, then start kidnapping me, I want to know!" I pushed.

He laughed quietly. "I suggest you put on a warm sweater and some shoes, first."

"Right… give me a sec." I muttered, running around my room like a headless chicken.

Edward watched me with an amused expression on his face while I put on my shoes, and my hands were shaking a little with excitement, which made it hard for me to tie them.

"Done!" I said when I jumped up from the chair. "We have to be quiet by the way, Charlie is already asleep, and there's this weird squeaking sound when you walk down the stairs that…"

Edward shook his head. "We're not using the stairs, I'm going to _literally_ kidnap you." He said with a snort.

"Wait, do you want me to…" But before I could finish my sentence he suddenly scooped me up into his arms, bridal style. I let out a small squeal of surprise, and I laughed as I locked my arms around his neck.

"Comfortable?" He asked, grinning at me.

"Yes… Who are you and what have you done with Edward Cullen?" I asked as I tightened my grip on him, wondering where this new, carefree Edward had come from.

"I'm not telling you that." He said in a mock serious tone, as he opened the window again. "You might want to close your eyes." He hinted.

"Okay." I mumbled, tightly squeezing them shut.

The only thing I felt was a soft thud, and when I opened my eyes again, he was already running through the maze of trees. It wasn't even cold outside, a result of getting closer to the summer, and this time the unnatural speed didn't frighten me anymore. By now I trusted Edward to not hit any trees, and it also felt a lot safer to be cradled in his arms instead of clinging to his back.

"Can I ask you something?" Our escape through the window made me recall a question that I had wanted to ask him for quite some time.

He gazed down at me as he kept running and nodded. "Ask away."

"Did you visit my room, a few weeks ago? You know, the night you saw me in the forest with Jacob…"

"Oh… yes, I'm sorry about that." He muttered. "I was just curious… A girl who's chasing after vampires, that's something you don't see every day… And to my frustration I couldn't hear your thoughts… It was only a small investigation, I couldn't understand your motives…"

"It's fine…" I assured him. "I was just wondering."

He kept running for a few short minutes, and then he gracefully came to a stop. He gently set me down on my feet, and I recognized the beautiful meadow where we had talked before, a few weeks ago. It was a full moon, and the moonlight gave the place a look that was similar to a scene out of a fairytale.

"Wow, it's even more beautiful in the moonlight." I said in awe as I started to dart around the place.

"Yes, it is." Edward agreed, but when I looked back at him over my shoulder I saw that he was gazing at me, instead of our amazing surroundings.

I walked up to him and grinned widely. "You were right, I like this surprise."

"That's good…" He started. "But this is not the surprise..."

I frowned in confusion. "It's not?"

Edward sighed, and it seemed that his light mood had vanished again. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Bella."

Uh oh… He said _talk_… That was the one word that a girl never wanted to hear out of the mouth of the boy she liked. Talking usually wasn't good. When you were watching a movie, and the guy told the girl that he wanted to talk, it was a given that she would end up with a broken heart. Or that he turned out to be her long forgotten, evil, twin brother… but the latter was unlikely in this case.

"Bella?" He asked, sounding… nervous. That was very unlike Edward.

"Yes… Talk." I choked out.

"It's nothing bad." He said quickly, sensing my panic. "At least, I don't think it is… Why don't we sit down?"

"Sure…" I said in a small voice, slowly sinking to the ground.

He did the same and I could feel my heart pounding in my throat. I tried to comfort myself with the thought that, if I was going to be dumped tonight, at least I would be dumped in style. No short text message saying: U R dumped, but a romantic scene in the moonlight. That ought to count for something…

"Bella, I'm not sure how to tell you this." His velvety voice was almost a whisper, and his golden eyes were watching me intently.

I shrugged and tried to keep my voice steady when I encouraged him to proceed. "Bring it on."

"Please don't get scared… if you're horrified after I've told you this, and you want me to bring you home, all you have to do is tell me." He murmured, his eyes never leaving mine.

"Okay…" I replied hesitantly, wondering what he could possibly tell me that was so horrible that it would make me run away, screaming as I went.

He seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts for a moment, his attention turning to my hands. I curiously watched him as he reached out his owns hands, taking mine in his before lifting up his head to look at me again. I swallowed loudly as he gazed at me from under his lashes, and I gently squeezed his cold hands in encouragement.

"It's very wrong for me to tell you this, Bella… In fact, if I did what's best for you I would leave Forks tomorrow, and never return."

I opened my mouth to protest but he shook his head. "Let me finish… I don't have the strength to do it… I wish I could leave, keep you safe… but I simply can't. I'm a selfish creature, Bella, I want to stay with you."

That didn't sound particularly bad… My breathing gradually evened out, and I felt some relief. Although he was being cryptic, as always, and I wasn't sure what to make of his words. "What are you saying, Edward?" I asked, pressing him to come straight to the point.

"I've been around a long time, Bella, but I've never felt like this in my… existence."

I was barely registering what he was saying, I could only stare into the liquid gold of his eyes.

"I love you, Bella."

The only thing I could do was gape at him. Did he just say _'love'_?

Edward kept watching me and seemed a little defeated by my lack of enthusiasm. The truth was that, inside, my heart was screaming with joy; I was simply to baffled to react right away.

"I can fully understand if you are disgusted by the idea of a vampire falling in love with you, and if you wish for me to leave you alone, I won't bother you anymore…"

I placed my finger against his cold, smooth lips to silence him. "Silly Edward, how can you even think that?"

Realization had kicked in, and the only emotions I felt at the moment were happiness and love. I threw myself into his arms without thinking about it, when it occurred to me that it was a stupid move.

I let go of him in a reflex, and gave him an apologetic glance. "Oops." I mumbled.

But he just smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer again and lifting me into his lap. "It's alright, I'm getting used to being close to you, it's getting easier every day… Is it safe to assume that you don't want to run away screaming?" He asked, his voice amused.

"Running and screaming is the last thing on my mind right now." I assured him, burying my face in the crook of his neck. "I love you, Edward." I whispered against his cool skin.

He chuckled and I felt him kissing the top of my head. "Then I suppose this means that we're both insane."

"Hmm, insanity never felt this good." I remarked.

"The scary part is that you're probably right… it does feel good." He replied, planting another small kiss in my hair.

I sighed in contentment and closed my eyes, fully enjoying being in his arms. At the moment, I wanted nothing more than to stay like this forever…

My eyes fluttered open when I felt him press a light kiss against my jaw. It was followed by more kisses, and he cautiously kissed a path along my jaw line. My breathing became erratic as I tried to keep still, making this a little less difficult for him.

He lowered his head even more and his lips were now ghosting along my throat. The thought of a vampire kissing my throat should scare the shit out of me. It would scare the shit out of any rational person… But I trusted Edward with my life, and I lifted up my head to give him better access. His icy lips placed kisses up and down, and I never wanted him to stop.

"I still can't believe how much you trust me… I don't deserve your trust." He whispered, his smooth lips resting against my pulse point.

"You do deserve it." I argued. "It's not what you _are_, it's what you _do_… You saved my life, you talked some sense into me, you've been a friend to me… So what, if you happen to be a vampire… I don't care."

He let out a loud snort. "You truly are one of a kind."

"Thanks… I think."

He leaned back slightly and gazed into my eyes, the expression on his face indicating that he was deliberating about something. After a brief moment the serious look on his face was gone, and he smiled almost invisibly.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Nothing… Sit very still." He ordered.

I arched my eyebrows but did as he asked, keeping as still as humanly possible.

He brought his perfect face closer to mine again, and my heart threatened to burst out of my chest when it occurred to me what he was about to do. I didn't move an inch, and I think I even stopped breathing for a second. And then he carefully touched his flawless lips to mine.

"Don't move." He whispered against my lips, causing his lips to brush lightly against mine.

I nearly collapsed but still concentrated on not moving as he started to move his lips against mine in a more determined way. The movement caused a tingling sensation, and I felt his cool breath against my lips.

He pulled away after a long moment, and I noticed that he was breathing unevenly, just like me.

"That was…" I trailed off, doing another attempt to catch my breath.

"Amazing?" He offered.

"Yes." I muttered, snuggling closer to him again.

We sat in silence for a while, and every now and then he lightly kissed my hair. This wasn't what I had expected to find when I'd started my search for vampires, a few months ago… Instead, it was a thousand times better. It felt like my mission to find immortality had happened ages ago, instead of months. And I had changed, for the better. Because I finally understood that immortality meant nothing compared to love. I couldn't even imagine why I had ever wanted eternal life without Edward. What use was it to have an eternity in front of you, if you didn't have someone to share it with? Human, vampire, I didn't care anymore… all I wanted was to be with Edward, nothing else mattered.

"I should bring you home, love. You still have a few hours left to get some sleep before we have to go to school." His soft voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"No." I protested. "I don't want to go, yet. One night of staying up won't kill me… I want to stay here, with you."

"But you need to sleep." He protested.

"Please, Edward… Just for tonight." I pleaded.

He sighed in defeat. "It's not like I can deny you anything."

I smiled smugly, resting my head against his shoulder again, feeling completely content. I didn't need sleep, I didn't need food, I didn't need oxygen… I just needed Edward.

I felt how he was playing with a strand of my hair, and I snuggled impossibly closer.

"If the cold is bothering you, let me know." He whispered.

"It's not bothering me at all, every time you make me shiver, it's in a good way."

He snorted. "I can't believe you, to a human, this must be as comfortable as cuddling with a rock."

"It's comforting to me." I assured him.

"Yes, naturally, you wouldn't have a problem with hugging a vampire." He said sarcastically. "Which reminds me, do you still want to become one yourself?" His tone instantly turned deadly serious.

His question took me off guard, because we hadn't talked about this for a while.

"Not really." I replied nonchalantly, glad that I could be honest without receiving one of his disapproving glances.

"Really?" He asked in surprise. "What made you change your mind?"

I thought about that for a second. "You, mostly."

"Ah! I knew that one of my pep talks would crack you!" He said, triumphant.

"Oh please, you're giving your pep talks way too much credit." I teased him. "I was referring to the fact that you made me realize that some things are way more important than eternal life. I'm still afraid of dying… but that's hardly a reason for wanting to become a vampire." I explained.

"And it's completely out of your head?" He pressed, sounding more intense than before.

"I wouldn't say completely… But if I ever wanted you to change me, it would be because I want to be with you forever... I don't care if I'm alive, or dead, as long as I can be with you." I murmured, still being honest with him.

He sighed, but when he spoke, he didn't sound disapproving. "At least your reasons aren't as disturbing as they used to be." He muttered. "But that doesn't change my opinion on the subject of changing you… I'm not turning you into a monster, Bella."

I started to get tired, and I didn't feel like discussing this at the moment. "We'll see, I'll convince you." I stated confidently, while my eyelids were starting to droop.

He chuckled. "We'll see, indeed."

"Stubborn… vampire." I mumbled, my voice slurring a little.

"This vampire isn't half as stubborn as you are." He teased me, and I felt him press another kiss against my hair.

I did one last attempt to object, but I couldn't stay awake anymore, and I slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

The last thing I heard him say before falling into a deep sleep was a whispered; "Sleep well, my Bella."

* * *

_Thanks for reading! :D New update tomorrow. _


	14. Sunlight

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Rosalies-Evil-Twin, LisaCA, Porcelain-Shadow, Britt, Gnomegirl13, J5girl31012, Terrified To Forget, Jm1708, Sprinter1, AutumnOtts, Wendy, A. Good **_and_** Lolz2kaii9**_! :D I'm glad you all liked the romantic scene! _

_To Rosalies-Evil-Twin: Wow, that's awesome, girl! :D I'm definitely happy for you, every girl deserves her own Edward. xD_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Lol, good luck with that! xD_

_To Britt: Of course you don't ask too much, it's nice to know that you're so interested. :) Anyway, Edward already knew he loved Bella, but he didn't make a move because he was afraid of hurting her… But let's say that the night he kidnapped her, a little pixie named Alice had a talk with him. :p It will be mentioned later in the story. ;) _

_To Gnomegirl13: Lol, as soon as I come across a vampire, I'll send him to you. xD_

_To Jm1708: Yeah, last chapter had a lot of cuteness. xD_

_To AutumnOtts: That sounds like a nice color. xD Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. :)_

_To Wendy: Thanks for catching up with the story! :D_

_Also, to all of you who are, unlike me, going to see New Moon: Have fun! From what I've seen so far, I'm sure it's going to be awesome. :)_

_Okay, new chapter, enjoy! _

* * *

**Sunlight**

A small, flickering light was what woke me up. I was too tired to open my eyes, yet, but I quickly became aware of the fact that I wasn't lying in my warm, soft bed… Instead I was leaning against something that was rather cold and solid.

I tried to mumble something, but I didn't succeed in forming a coherent sentence, and the next thing I heard was his velvety, musical laugh.

"Good morning, love."

"Oh no." I muttered. "I fell… asleep."

"Yes, you fell asleep in the arms of a vampire, nonetheless. Your own safety is obviously still not very high on your list of priorities." He replied in a mocking voice.

"Hmm, I'm insane, you know that." I mumbled in a slurry voice, slowly opening my eyes.

I scanned my surroundings, and I discovered what the source of the flickering light had been. For the first time in months, I could see the sun rising, and a small ray of sun reached Edward's left hand, which was still tightly wrapped around me. The sun made his skin shimmer, and it caused the reflections of little rainbows to dance all around us.

"You're sparkling, Edward." I dryly stated the obvious, still a little sleep drunk.

He laughed again and took my hand in his. "I'm afraid I am… Do you remember that time when I told you that the sun doesn't kill vampires, but does expose them for what they truly are?"

"Oh, sure… And this is what happens." I said matter-of-factly, lightly stroking his smooth, shining hand and watching it with fascination.

"That's right… It looks ridiculous, doesn't it?" He asked rhetorically.

"No… it's pretty." I mumbled.

He snorted. "I'll ask you again later, you're clearly not coherent at the moment."

"I am coherent!" I protested, moving in his lap to sit a bit straighter. "I think you're beautiful, with or without the sparkles…"

"In that case, I'm glad you think so." He said in an amused tone. "Although I'm not nearly as beautiful as you are. Then again, your beauty makes everything look plain and ordinary in comparison, so I can live with that."

"Me? Beautiful? Yeah right." I mumbled dismissively. I would never think of myself as anything other than plain, but it did make me glow inside that Edward seemed to think otherwise. "Wait! What's the time? Aren't we supposed to be at school right now? Am I in trouble?" I blurted out when it suddenly occurred to me that there was also a world outside of the cozy, private bubble in which Edward and I were currently staying.

"Are you always this chaotic in the morning?" He asked curiously, ignoring my panicked question.

"No! Yes… I mean, I'm not sure." I admitted.

He chuckled and pressed a sweet kiss against my cheek. "Relax, love, we still have enough time left to get you to school. In fact, I'm going to take you home right now, before your father notices that you are missing."

"Who cares." I muttered, my mood turning around abruptly when I thought about leaving this place.

"I care…" He said seriously. "If I don't take you back, it will be considered kidnapping, which means that your father would arrest me." He added in a joking tone.

"That's bad." I concluded.

"That's very bad." He agreed, whispering in my ear, causing me to shiver. "I'm sorry love, we can't stay here forever."

"I'm not asking forever… How about a week?" I offered.

He let out a loud laugh. "Nice try, come on you silly girl." He said, carefully lifting me out of his lap and getting up.

He offered me his hand and I took it, also standing up.

The meadow was bathing in the sunlight, and I moved closer to the center of the perfectly round open space, in order to soak up some sun, seeing as sunny days were rare in the area around Forks. I swirled around a few times, gazing up at the sky, which was blue, for once.

"You like the sun." Edward observed, smiling at me.

"Yes, I told you that I lived in Phoenix with my mother before I moved here… Well it used to be sunny every day, you can only imagine my depression when I came to live here, it's no Arizona… By now I've gotten used to the depressing weather, but I do miss the sun sometimes... Don't you like the sun?"

"Yes, and no." He answered, never taking his eyes away from me. "The sun is nice… but it also means that I'm not able to walk around in public places." He reminded me.

"Oh… right. Does that mean that you're not going to school today?" I asked, not even trying to hide my disappointment.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I'm sure you can understand that I can't walk around Forks High, looking like this." His tone was almost apologetic.

"I know… God I hate that stupid sun!" I grumbled.

The expression on Edward's face was highly amused and he did a few steps towards me. "You don't really mean that."

"Of course I do! Because every time the sun shines, you are going to ditch!" I accused him. "Can't I also ditch? I could call Mrs. Cope and tell her that I'm feeling sick…" I added hopefully.

"No you can't, you're going to school." He said in a final tone, taking another step towards me and pulling me into his strong arms.

"Hypocrite." I complained, mumbling the words into his chest.

"I've already graduated eleven times, I can afford to skip a day, you can't." He said smugly, knowing that he had won this round.

"But I still have so many things I want to ask… about you, and about your family." I tried one last time.

"And I will answer each and every one of your questions, but later." He promised me. "And as for my family… I was sort of hoping that I could take you home with me to meet them… soon. Carlisle and Esme… I suppose you could call them my parents… they would love to meet you." He slightly pulled away from me so he could see my face, gauging my reaction.

"Are you sure?" I asked hesitantly, afraid that they weren't going to approve of the fact that their vampire son was dating a human girl.

"Only if you want to meet them, if the idea of meeting a house full of vampires is too scary for you, I understand." He said sincerely.

"No! It's fine… If they don't mind that I'm a human." I started blushing, as if being human was something to be embarrassed about.

"Of course they don't mind, they want me to be happy, and you make me happy, Bella." He leaned in a little and I got distracted, my eyes automatically gazing at his smooth lips.

"One more kiss, Edward." I pleaded, our conversation about parents and family long forgotten.

"You'll be late for school." He informed me in a whisper, his cool breath was caressing my face.

"I don't care."

Without further warning, he pressed his cold lips against mine, and my hands seemed to have a mind of their own, travelling up and knotting themselves into his silky, copper-colored hair, firmly securing his face to mine. I gasped in surprise when his icy tong traced my lower lip, causing my lips to part slightly. His sweet breath invaded my mouth, and I could practically taste him on my tongue.

Too soon for my liking, he ended the kiss, carefully grabbing my wrists and pulling my hands free from his messy hair. I pouted at him, but he simply laughed.

"We've tested my control long enough, for now. I'll take you home." He said, effortlessly lifting me up into his arms and cradling me against his chest.

I threw a brief, last glance at the peaceful meadow. "Will we come back here?"

"I guess we will, since we both love this place." Edward assured me. "And after today, it will also remind me of the most important moment in my… existence."

"What would that be?"

He smiled crookedly at me and lightly kissed the tip of my nose. "You telling me that you love me."

xxx

"Bella… Pssst. Mr. Mason is asking you a question." I almost jumped ten feet in the air when Mike Newton's hissing voice woke me up.

He was sitting at the desk next to me, giving me a wary look. My lack of sleep last night had resulted in me falling asleep during English class.

"Do you mind paying attention, Miss Swan?" Mr. Mason asked in an irritated voice.

"I'm sorry, I didn't feel well last night, so I didn't sleep much." I lied in a reflex.

"Oh… do you need to see the nurse?" He asked, the annoyed expression on his face fading slowly.

"No, I'm feeling better, just need to catch up on some sleep." I gave him my most innocent look.

"Alright then, I'll let it go, this time..." Mr. Mason said, before scanning the room for his next victim. "Ah, Mr. Crowley…"

I let out a sigh of relief and turned my attention back to my textbook, this time trying to actually pay attention and stay awake. A part of me was suddenly grateful that Edward wasn't in school today, because otherwise, him commenting on how he had been right about me needing my sleep, would've been inevitable.

"Are you sure you're alright Bella?" Mike's worried voice came from my left again.

I turned to look at him and rolled my eyes. "Never better." I said, unable to stop the grin that was automatically spreading across my face as I remembered last night.

"You're not feeling sick? I could take you to the nurse." He whispered, staring into my eyes in a way that he would probably consider 'romantic'.

After months of his unashamed flirting, and me giving him subtle rejections, I was sick and tired of him, and I wanted to dodge him once and for all. "No need to worry, Mike, I'm not sick. I just didn't get much sleep because I spent a magical night with Edward Cullen."

Mike's eyes were about to bulge out of their sockets, and I gave him a smile that was supposed to be apologetic.

"I don't like the idea of you and Cullen together." Mike grumbled lowly.

"You don't have to like it." I said with a light shrug. "Since I'm the one who has to be with him, it only matters if _I_ like it."

Mike gave me a last incredulous look before ducking his head, fixing his gaze on his books.

Another problem solved, surely Mike wouldn't bother me after this… Even he couldn't be _that_ delusional.

I gave up concentrating on the teacher's voice, and my thoughts were miles away. Back at the meadow, to be precisely. I wondered what Edward was doing now… Was he thinking about me, like I was thinking about him? Or was it just me, being this pathetic? I made a mental note to ask him about that later.

* * *

_Thanks for reading, new update tomorrow! :)_


	15. Enemies

_Hey folks! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Rosalies-Evil-Twin, Lolz2kaii9, Lill miss bella cullen, Animal8, LisaCA, Gnomegirl13, Phantomessangel, Britt, Jm1708**_, _**Wendy **_and_** LoveTeamEdward!**_ :D_

_Happy fact of the day: Despite what I thought earlier, I am going to see New Moon! :D I'm going to see it Sunday afternoon with my friend Eva. :D Seems like I get to drool over a half-naked Robert Pattinson on a big screen after all. ^^"_

_To Rosalies-Evil-Twin: No, that's not sad. xD I think a lot of girls are with you on this one. :p I'm glad you like my Edward. xD Lol, 'My Edward', that sounds like I've got one of my own. xD_

_To Lolz2kaii9: Yes, that was the idea. xD Poor Mike._

_Also, it's good to hear that all of you liked the part with Mike. xD_

_To Gnomegirl13: Oh I totally agree with you, the first time I heard about the sparkling thing, I laughed so hard I nearly cracked a rib. But I have this annoying habit of wanting to keep closely to the books when I write fanfiction, so that's why I normally include it. xD And omg, you can't kill Edward. :O Fangirls from all over the world will unite against you! :p_

_To Phantomessangel: Thanks for catching up with the story, glad you liked it. :)_

_To Britt: Yes! Rosalie will be there. :p How she will react… you'll have to wait to find out, otherwise I would give away too much. ;)_

_To Wendy: It's your lucky day, there's a rather long chapter today. :D_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Jaa, mijn Edward is inderdaad redelijk optimistisch. xD Maarja op zich vind ik hem verder niet te OOC, dus vond ik het leuker om hem zo te houden dan dat ie continu chagrijnig is. xD_

_Okay, general announcement: I'm afraid that from now on, I can't guarantee daily updates anymore. I'm just so busy lately, and I want the last part of the story to have the same quality as the first fifteen chapters. I could rush it, and update daily, but that would only ruin the story. So please be patient with me, although I do promise to keep updating as soon as I can. It's not going to be like with some authors that you will have to wait for weeks until a new update finally shows up. xD_

_Alright, have fun! _

* * *

**Enemies**

I was in a permanent state of happiness for the remainder of the boring school day, and even Jessica's annoying attempts to get some gossip out of me were unable to lift me out of my state of pure bliss. The sun disappeared behind the clouds shortly after lunch break, making room for more rain, but Edward didn't show. Not that it mattered, I had a pretty good feeling that he would visit me tonight.

Little did I know that my mood would abruptly turn around the second I got home and stepped into the kitchen…

I hung up my coat in the small hallway, but when I entered the kitchen and wanted to dump my backpack on the kitchen table, I noticed that someone was already sitting there. I nearly had a heart attack, and scowled at my best friend.

"Jake! What the hell are you doing here? How did you get in? Charlie isn't even home, is he?" I ranted.

"I used the key from under the eave… You've used that key in front of me a hundred times, Bells." He explained. I could hear that he was struggling to keep his voice casual.

"That's no excuse! You are breaking and entering! And on top of that you scared the hell out of me, I didn't expect anyone to be here, since Charlie's usually at work around this time of day. You might as well have been a scary kidnapper!" I argued.

"Alright, I'm sorry! Look, I'm not here to start a fight." He still managed to keep his voice calm, which was a huge achievement, knowing Jake. "I'm here to talk… I miss you, Bells." He added a pleading look to double the effect of his words.

I sighed, feeling another wave of guilt. "I… miss you, too…"

He hesitantly gave me a tiny smile. "Then at least we agree on that."

"Yes, but regardless, you called me insane!" I complained, "And for another thing you…"

A sharp tap against the door interrupted me, and my eyes widened in fear, seeing as I had a fairly good idea who it was... I had an eerie feeling that Jacob and Edward together in the same room would only end in trouble.

I bit my lip and threw Jake an apologetic smile. "I'm going to… answer that." I mumbled, unnecessarily pointing at the door.

"Right." Jake muttered, completely unaware of the huge problem that was developing itself at this exact moment.

I dragged myself to the front door, all the while desperately searching my brain for a solution. Sending Jake away wouldn't be a good idea, not now that he was finally coming around. Sending Edward away was also a bad idea, he would think that I was hiding something from him, and other than that, they would have to meet each other eventually… Too bad that Jacob had a serious problem with his temper… and so did Edward, for that matter. All this, in combination with Jacob's anti-vampire attitude, was a guarantee that it was going to be a disaster. Not to mention, Edward was probably still mad at Jake for being rude to me.

I took a deep breath before opening the door, automatically smiling up at my angel who was standing in front of it.

"Hey, Edward." I choked out.

"Hello, love… Are you alright? I can hear your heart fluttering abnormally fast." He said worriedly.

"I'm fine." I squeaked. "Come on in… But I have to warn you, I have a visitor."

Edward smirked at me. "I know." He said, tapping his index finger against his head. "I would like to meet your friend."

"Right…"

Edward followed me into the kitchen, and Jacob threw me a confused glance as soon as he spotted my vampire-boyfriend.

"Jake, I would like you to meet Edward Cullen." I said nervously. "Edward, this is my friend Jacob Black." I added in a mock cheerful tone.

Jacob's face showed nothing but shock. He didn't bother to keep up a polite charade, and he was gaping at Edward.

Edward on the other hand, stepped up to Jacob and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jacob." He said, both his voice and his face showing no emotion at all.

"Same..." Jacob managed to say, briefly shaking Edward's hand, before swiftly pulling away.

I gave Jacob a warning look, hoping that he would get the message that I was currently trying to send him. The message that he had to act _normal_ towards Edward.

"Bells…" Jake began, returning my stare. "Can I have a word with you? Alone?"

I tentatively threw a short glance at Edward, before turning back to Jake, nervously eyeing him. "Ehm, well, I guess it would be better if we talked later, and I…"

Once again I was interrupted by the front door, but this time it swung open by itself, and I was praying that a huge, black hole would appear and swallow me whole. Why did this have to be the day that Charlie decided to come home early? It was as if life was laughing at me, enjoying my misery.

Edward and Jake both turned their heads in a reflex to see who had come in, and I swallowed loudly when my dad came into sight. I think he was rather surprised at first, but he composed himself and gave the three of us an indifferent look as he took off his coat.

"Hey kids." He greeted us.

Nothing bad so far, until he entered the kitchen, and spotted Edward…

"Do I know you?" Charlie asked immediately, curiously taking in Edward.

"No dad, you haven't met him!" I blurted out before Edward could say a thing. "This is my… Edward." I rambled.

Oh no... I had changed my mind halfway through my sentence, in order to avoid the word 'boyfriend', but unfortunately, it only sounded worse now. I realized exactly _how_ bad it had sounded, when Charlie frowned at me, his face a mask of shock.

"_Your_ Edward?" He asked gruffly.

I opened my mouth but no words came out, and Edward decided to save me. He did a step towards Charlie and politely introduced himself.

"I'm sorry, chief Swan, my name is Edward Cullen." He said, holding out his hand for my father to shake.

Understanding flashed across Charlie's face, and he shook Edward's hand, slowly nodding. "Right, you're the doctor's son!" He concluded.

"Yes, Carlisle Cullen is my father." Edward confirmed.

I think my jaw literally hit the floor when Charlie even managed to crack a smile. "Yeah, I met him, nice guy, talented doctor."

Edward returned his smile. "Thank you, sir."

Jake was just staring at the three of us, taking in the scene, the expression on his face astonished. He was probably shocked to see my clueless father interact with a vampire as if it was the most normal thing in the world. And to Charlie, it _was_ the most normal thing in the world, since he was under the impression that he was talking to the well behaved son of the respected doctor Cullen.

"So are you guys… staying for dinner?" Charlie wondered out loud.

"No!" The three of us blurted out simultaneously.

As if the situation hadn't already been awkward... This surely added some more awkwardness.

"Oh…" Was my dad's only reply. He shrugged and headed for the living room, but not before shooting me a glance that made it clear that he was going to grill me about Edward, later.

The three of us stared at each other, the uncomfortable tension in the air almost visible.

"You know what, I'll leave now. You should have a talk with Jacob." Edward offered unexpectedly, breaking the silence.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll see you later, love." He assured me, lightly kissing my forehead, which caused a look of disgust to appear on Jake's face."It was nice meeting you, Jacob." He said, giving Jacob a small nod.

Jake merely grumbled something, but Edward didn't seem to be bothered by Jacob's rude behavior. I guessed the main reason for that was, that Edward felt _exactly_ the same about Jacob, only he was being more mature about it. Eternal life must grant endless patience.

As soon as Edward closed the front door behind him, I glared at Jacob.

"Could you've been any more rude?" I complained, still scowling at him.

"You let a vampire kiss you?" He hissed, making sure that Charlie couldn't hear him.

"Since I'm in love with said vampire, and since he's my boyfriend… yes, that means he is allowed to kiss me." I hissed back.

"Honestly, Bells, that is disgusting! It would be the same as… me making out with a cheeseburger!"

"Are you comparing me to a cheeseburger?" I snapped at him.

He sighed and tiredly rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean, humans are on his menu, cheeseburgers are on my menu."

"Everything alright in there?" Charlie called.

"Fine, dad, awesome." I called back, throwing Jake another warning glare. "Jake and I are going out for a walk."

"We are?" Jacob asked, surprised.

"Yes we are, let's not discuss this here." I hinted in a low voice.

"Oh, yeah sure." He muttered, reluctantly getting up from the chair.

Both of us walked out into the backyard, coming to a stop at the edge of the forest. The huge trees gave us some shelter from the slight drizzle that was falling from the overcast sky.

"Okay, spit it out Jake, what is your problem?" I demanded.

"My problem is that you are dating that bloodsucker!" He retorted without thinking.

"Oh come on! You don't even know him! If you only knew how sweet and caring he actually is, you would be happy for me."

"Fat chance." Jacob grumbled.

I sighed, giving him an annoyed glare. "Listen, you are my best friend, and he is my boyfriend… It would be nice if the two of you could at least act normal towards each other. I'm not asking you to become his friend, I can't force you to like him… but please just act normal. It's important to me, Jake… I love him."

Jake frowned and gave me a sour smile. "Yeah and you would love him even more if he sank his fangs into your throat."

"Not that again!" I yelled angrily. "I can't believe you! This has nothing to do with me becoming a vampire, this has everything to do with me being in love with Edward. Maybe you should just leave, talking to you is pointless anyway." I spat at him.

"I wouldn't say pointless, Bella. I'm trying you convince you that this is wrong!"

"What's wrong with loving someone?" I challenged him. "Either you can accept that I love someone who is a vampire, and a good man, or you should leave me alone for a while."

"So that's what this comes down to, huh? Become friends with the bloodsucker, or leave." The sadness in Jacob's voice made me feel guilty again, but I had every right to love Edward.

"I told you, I don't need you to be his friend… I need you to accept that _I_ love him."

Jake seemed to be deliberating for a few seconds, but when he spoke, it was clear that he had made his decision, and that he would stick to it. "In that case, I think I'll just leave."

Tears were stinging behind my eyes, but there was no way that I was going to give in. "I don't want you to leave, Jake… but I'm not leaving Edward, either."

Jacob shook his head and gave me a wary look. "Take care, Bells, I sure as hell hope that you know what you're doing."

"No need to worry about me, Edward takes good care of me."

"Yeah, I'm sure he loves his little snack." Jacob said mockingly.

"That's enough! Go away Jake!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, feeling angrier than I had ever felt in my life.

He threw me one last glance that was filled with sadness, but then he abruptly turned around, walking back into the backyard, and disappearing behind Charlie's small house.

I was feeling upset, and for a moment I considered going back into the house to sulk there, but then I remembered what would be waiting for me inside… Charlie, bothering me with a cross-examination about Edward.

"I think I'll pass." I mumbled to myself, taking a few steps into the green forest, hoping that the silence there would calm me down a bit.

I didn't plan to go very far, and I lazily followed the trail for a few minutes, until a cool breeze swirled around me, nearly giving me a heart attack.

"Looking for vampires, Miss Swan?" He said teasingly as he appeared right in front of me, his golden eyes sparkling.

I smacked his arm, most definitely only hurting myself in the process. "You scared me, Edward! But as a matter of fact, yes, I'm looking for vampires."

"Then I guess you succeeded, you found one." He said, grinning at me.

"Seems I did, and a very cute one at that." I replied, playfully touching the tip of his perfect nose.

Edward snorted and rolled his eyes. "That's typically you, calling a vampire cute… So how did your talk with Jacob go?"

I groaned. "Disastrous. And that would be putting it mildly."

"He'll come around." Edward tried to comfort me.

"That's the thing… I'm not sure, this time." I mumbled, biting my lip.

Edward's arms snaked around my waist, and he hugged me close to him. I rested my head against his shoulder, and he gently stroked my hair.

"I'm sorry, love. I know he means a lot to you… And you can't really blame him for not immediately welcoming a vampire into his life."

"Are you defending him?" I asked in disbelief, mumbling into his shirt. "He was a total jerk to you."

"Perhaps, but I can also hear his thoughts. He's only worried, he cares a lot about you. I guess that means that he and I have something in common. The problem is that he sees me as the biggest threat to your safety, and I can't even argue with that." He informed me in a serious tone.

"You would never hurt me, Edward." I stated confidently.

He sighed. "I don't think I could ever hurt you, but you can't expect everyone around you to be as trusting as you are."

"Maybe..." I muttered as I reluctantly let go of him in order to look at his pretty eyes. "I don't want to talk about Jacob anymore… Can't we do something fun so I can forget about it?"

Edward chuckled. "Define 'fun'."

"A small ride in vampire style would be fun." I admitted, giving him a pleading look. Now that I trusted him enough to not hit any trees, I actually found it a nice experience, flying through the forest in inhuman speed.

He arched his perfect eyebrows in confusion. "I thought you were scared about hitting trees."

"I've gotten used to it… It's actually pretty cool… Please?"

He snorted. "Sure, hop on."

I smiled in triumph and climbed onto his back, with him giving me a lot of help.

"Ready?"

"Yes, let's go!" I said, locking my arms firmly around his neck.

He started running, and I enjoyed every second of it. The wind in my face, Edward's scent surrounding me, the trees passing by in high speed… it was the feeling of pure freedom. I pressed a small kiss against his neck, and rested my head against his.

One thing was for sure, I was willing to do a lot of things to keep Jacob happy, but letting go of Edward was out of the question…

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_That's it for today, thanks for reading. ;) _


	16. Family Issues

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you so much for reviewing; _**Porcelain-Shadow, Rosalies-Evil-Twin, Animal8, Jm1708, LisaCA, Sprinter1, Emmett's My Monkey Man, Phantomessangel, Gnomegirl13, Lil miss bella cullen, Nikkitbh**_ and _**AutumnOtts**_! :D You guys rock. 8)_

_Also, thanks for being patient with me, I hope all of you will enjoy the new chapter! ^^_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Want a digital Jacob? :p_

_To Rosalies-Evil-Twin: Lol, omg that song was the first thing I thought about when I read that first part of your sentence. xD_

_To LisaCA: Hope you enjoyed the road trip, and the chapter of course. ;)_

_To __Emmett's My Monkey Man__:__ Thanks for catching up with the story! :D_

_To Gnomegirl13: Lol, yeah, I think it would be very much like a scene out of Revenge of the Fangirls. xD_

_To Nikkitbh: Yay, thanks for catching up with the story, I'm glad you like it. :) And wow, I didn't even realize that I used a swear word. xD Ah well, one 'shit' won't kill anyone. xD_

_To AutumnOtts: Thanks for all the stars. :D Aahw, may your computer rest in peace. ;) _

_To everyone who asked me about __**New Moon**__: IT WAS AWESOME. I won't say too much, since it would give everything away for the people who haven't seen it yet, but I saw it two days ago, and I loved every minute. I agree that it was much, much better than the Twilight movie. Although I have to admit… I did crack up every single time when sparkling Edward showed up. I can't help it. xD_

_Alright, new chapter, enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Family Issues**

"What if they don't like me?" I asked for the millionth time, trying to keep my voice steady.

Edward sighed and gave me another one of his reassuring smiles. "They'll love you, you'll see."

He parked the silver Volvo in front of the huge Cullen mansion. It looked different than the last time I'd been here. The lawn was neatly mowed, and someone had gotten rid of the ferns. This time, it was clear that someone was actually _living_ here.

I had promised that I would meet Edward's family this weekend, but at this moment, I was definitely having second thoughts. Naturally, Edward had assured me a million times that they would like me, and that there was nothing to worry about. But the evil glares that his sister Rosalie kept throwing at me every time she spotted me and Edward together in the parking lot or the school cafeteria, made me think otherwise.

Edward got out of the car and walked around the front, not even bothering to keep up a human charade and moving too fast for my eyes to register. He opened my door and held out his hand for me to take, and I complied instantly.

He helped me out of the car and kept our hands intertwined, gently squeezing mine. "It'll be fine, stop worrying. If Rosalie is being… her usual self, just ignore her. Most people do, including me." He said seriously.

His comment caused me to let out a small snort and he grinned at me.

We walked up the porch steps to the oversized house, and before Edward could do so much as touch the handle of the front door, it flew open. Alice appeared in front of us, smiling from ear to ear.

"Bella!" She exclaimed. "What a surprise!"

She pulled me in for a hug, and Edward dramatically rolled his eyes. "Yeah, like you didn't see this coming for miles." He muttered sarcastically.

Alice stuck out her tongue at her brother while her little arms were still crushing me, and she grinned at me. "You can thank me later for convincing my stubborn brother that there's nothing wrong with dating a human." She whispered in my ear.

"I heard that." Edward reminded her.

So that was the reason why Edward had suddenly decided that he wanted to try and make this work, Alice had probably bothered him to no end about this, and by now I knew that she could be _very_ convincing. I hadn't talked to her since that day that Edward had told me he loved me, but it was obvious now that she had something to do with it.

"Either way, thanks Alice." I said sincerely.

"Anytime, Bella. Come on, let's go inside, there are some people waiting who are dying to meet you." Alice tugged at my hand and I had to laugh at her enthusiasm. I looked back at Edward, who had an exasperated expression on his face and was glaring daggers at his sister.

"It's fine." I mouthed at him, still smiling slightly. It was a huge relief to know that, if no one else liked me, at least I would have Alice…

I was vaguely aware that Edward closed the door behind us, and I gaped as I took in the surroundings. The hall was huge and light, and most of the furniture also had a light color. The entire interior looked like something that you would normally see in a magazine, nothing that I would've expected from a house that was loaded with vampires.

Alice noticed that I was impressed and she smiled at me. "You like it?"

I nodded slowly. "It's amazing."

"Yes, Esme definitely knows what she's doing." Alice replied. "Let's go meet the family." She added, taking my hand again and dragging me along to what I assumed was the living room.

"Alice, give her some room to breathe." Edward warned her.

"I don't hear her complaining. Besides, you already get to spend so much time with her, today it's my turn!" Alice threw back at him.

Again I had to stop myself from laughing out loud, it almost sounded as if I was the favorite toy that they didn't want to share.

I think I heard Edward grumble a "Whatever", but other than that he let it go.

Alice led me into the living room, which was also huge and light, and had one wall that was completely made out of glass. It was beautiful to say the least. I was so preoccupied with my surroundings, that I had to drag my attention back to the four figures, sitting in the nicely decorated room.

I recognized Edward's brothers Emmett and Jasper, and I assumed that the other man and woman were Carlisle and Esme, his parents. The beautiful woman with caramel colored hair stood up and walked up to me immediately, giving me a hug.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, Bella, I am Esme." She said warmly.

I was a little surprised, she didn't seem to have any problems with being this close to me. She felt cold and solid, just like Edward and Alice, but somehow, her embrace was warm enough.

"It's nice to meet you, too." I replied, smiling at her when she let go of me.

The blonde man which I assumed was the doctor, was standing right next to her now, and he smiled at me, holding out his hand for me to shake.

"It's very nice to meet you, Bella." He said, firmly shaking my hand when I placed it in his.

"Likewise, doctor Cullen." I answered politely.

"Oh, please just call me Carlisle."

Edward warily watched me as I interacted with his parents, even though it turned out that there was nothing to worry about. His parents seemed nice enough, and the fact that I was dealing with vampires instead of humans didn't change that.

"Move over, it's my turn." I heard a booming voice, and the huge, bulky vampire who was named Emmett, as Edward had once told me, stepped up to me.

"Take it easy, Emmett." Esme said in a warning tone.

His big posture made him a bit intimidating, but I managed to smile up at him. "Hey Emmett, it's nice to meet you." I said tentatively.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella!" He answered, pulling me into a bone crushing, one-armed hug. "Although I can't imagine how you can stand being around my grumpy brother all day." He added when he released me, his voice nearly sounding awed.

I laughed out loud, and grinned at him. "I've gotten used to it, and I can totally handle his mood swings now." I stated confidently.

Edward sighed in mock irritation. "Yes, let's all keep talking like I'm not here."

"I'm sorry bro, you're such an easy target." I think that this was Emmett's idea of an apology.

Edward and Emmett kept bickering some more while Alice made a face at them and gestured to the tall vampire with honey-blonde hair.

"And this is Jasper, the love of my life." She squealed enthusiastically.

"Nice to meet you, Jasper." I said, automatically smiling when I saw the look full of adoration that Alice gave him.

"It's a pleasure, Bella." He replied. He nodded politely, but didn't come any closer to shake my hand.

"Being a vegetarian is a bit harder for Jasper than it is for the rest of us, he's rather new to our lifestyle." Alice explained, when she noticed my confusion.

"Oh, I understand." I muttered, wondering if this was something to worry about.

I didn't get much time to worry though, seeing as one of Edward's arms suddenly snaked around my waist, and he pulled me into his side.

"Not as bad as you expected?" He whispered in my ear.

"Not at all." I answered sincerely.

He sighed in relief. "Good, why don't you let me give you a tour of the house."

"Ehm sure, if that's okay."

"Yes, why don't you show Bella around." Esme encouraged her son.

Edward gently grabbed my wrist, seeming eager to get away from his family, and I followed his lead. Unfortunately we didn't make it out of the living room in time, for at the exact moment we reached the door, the beautiful, blonde Rosalie entered the room.

I swallowed loudly, but Edward simply gave her a dark glare. He had probably already heard her thoughts, and from the look on his face I could tell that they were far from nice.

She spoke and her first words took me by surprise. "Aren't you going to introduce me, Edward?" She didn't sound nice, nor did she sound hateful. It was a blank, expressionless tone that she used, but it scared me all the same.

"Bella, meet my sister Rosalie." Edward said in a strained tone, clenching his jaw.

"Nice to meet you, Rosalie." I muttered, almost inaudible.

Her dark eyes seemed to pierce right through me, and I shivered involuntarily.

And then she let out a hard, humorless laugh. "Nice? I wouldn't use the word nice… Although it's fascinating, here she is, the girl who wants to become one of the eternal damned herself. Because that's why you're here, isn't it?" She snapped at me.

Edward growled lowly and I squeezed his cold hand, wanting him to calm down. The last thing I needed was to be the cause of a vampire-war.

"Rosalie, please behave!" Carlisle's warning voice came from behind me.

"Oh come on! It's obvious! It's the only reason why she's here! Do you think she really loves you, Edward?" She challenged her brother.

My breathing hitched in my throat and I trembled violently. She didn't believe that I truly loved her brother… And the worst part was, she had every right not to trust me! Because that was how it had all started out; me looking for immortality. I could imagine that she thought her brother was naïve to trust me like this… He was always so astonished that I trusted him all the way, but it should be the other way around. Because he had no reason at all to trust _me_, I might as well still be after eternal life, for all he knew. Sure, I knew what I felt in my heart, but there was no way he could know that.

"Don't even go there, Rosalie." Edward hissed at her.

"Enough." Esme stated in a final tone. "Rosalie, please leave the room."

Rosalie gave her a shocked look, raising one of her perfect eyebrows.

"Do as your mother tells, please. We'll talk about this later." Carlisle stated firmly.

"I'm not letting one arrogant, little human who thinks she can deceive us all chase me out of my own home." She said, her voice dripping with venom.

"Rosie, baby, let's just go." Emmett suddenly broke in, stepping closer to her and putting an arm around her.

She glared at everyone in the room and huffed.

"If you don't believe Bella, at least believe me." Alice called after her when Emmett tugged her out of the room.

She didn't answer, though, and Edward sighed, wrapping his arms tighter around me. "I'm so sorry… I should've never allowed this to happen." He murmured.

"Are you alright, dear?" Esme asked, giving me an apologetic look.

"I'm not sure." I choked out.

I felt horrible, and Rosalie's little outburst wasn't even the main cause. What worried me the most, was that she was _right_… Why on earth would Edward believe me? He didn't have any proof whatsoever that I loved him, no proof at all… Nothing but the words 'I love you'. There was no way that I could prove my love for him, all he could do was take my word for it. And I hated myself for it…

"I-I have to go." I stumbled. "Thanks for… having me here." I added, mechanically nodding and smiling at Carlisle and Esme, who were both giving me concerned glances.

I freed myself from Edward's embrace and did a few steps backwards, before turning around, all but running out of the room and heading for the front door.

"Bella, wait! You're leaving?" Alice called from behind me.

"I'm sorry, I'll see you later. I have to think." I called back.

"If she wants to go home, just let her." I heard Edward say to his sister. "I'll take you home, Bella." He called after me.

"No thanks, I'll walk." I blurted out, trying to keep in the tears.

"You're not walking, it's a thirty minute walk, and it's pouring outside." He objected as he appeared in front of me without a warning. He stared intently at me, unleashing the full power of his golden eyes on me, but I quickly closed my own eyes, avoiding his gaze.

"Please, Edward. I have to think, I could use a walk." I pleaded.

He sighed in defeat and frowned at me. "You're so stubborn."

"Look who's talking." I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes and gazing up at his confused face. "I'll see you later, I guess."

I didn't give him a chance to say anything else, and I stepped outside, slamming the door shut. I had to get out of here, right now. I made it out of the long, muddy driveway in a high tempo, and I kept up a steady pace for the rest of the twenty minute walk. I wasn't even sure why I felt so upset, but the tears kept coming.

When Charlie's house came into sight, I wasn't sure what to do. Charlie wasn't out fishing today, and most likely he was going to bombard me with difficult questions if I came in like this... I made a rash decision and jumped into my old truck.

I was going to see Jacob. After all, he was my best friend, and I desperately needed someone to talk to. Seeing as he was the only one I could openly talk to about this…

Rosalie had opened up my eyes, big time. This was exactly what it looked like, like I was only making friends with vampires to complete my quest for immortality. I realized now, that I could hardly blame my best friend for also looking at it that way. I owed him an apology…

And I had to think of something to give Edward some sort of proof that I _did_ love him, that was the least he deserved for loving me unconditionally…

* * *

_Thanks for reading, I promise to update soon!_


	17. Love Detector

_Hey everyone! :D_

_Thank you for the awesome reviews; _**Phantomessangel****, Jaspers Friend is a PIGGY, ****Eternally Inquisitive****, Animal8, Detsinbaby, Gnomegirl13, Jm1708, Sprinter1, AutumnOtts, LisaCA**_ and _**LoveTeamEdward**_! :D_

_I see some new reviewers, thank you for catching up with the story, I'm glad you all like it! :D_

_To Jaspers Friend is a PIGGY: Lol, difficult question, I actually liked a lot of parts of New Moon. Oh, I thought it was awesome how they included that part at the end were Jake and Eddie almost start to fight. xD And my favorite quote was: 'Don't trust vampires. Trust me.' xD_

_To Gnomegirl13: I think you're going to like the Jacob/Bella part in this chapter. ;)_

_To Jm1708: You're right, Rosalie was a total bitch. _

_To everyone who is wondering about that; In the Twilight books, Rose already was mad at Bella because she wanted to give up her humanity so easily to be with Edward. So you can only imagine how Rose will react to a girl who was deliberately looking for vampires, purely to become immortal… I think this sort of reaction could be expected from her in this case. _

_To AutumnOtts: Thanks! At this point I've collected a lot of stars. :D_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Ojee, ik ben bang dat er nog meer drama komt in het volgende hoofdstuk. (A) Ik zal je even voorzichtig voorbereiden op de shock. :p Anyway, New Moon was inderdaad heel hip. =D _

_Okay, new chapter, folks! Have fun. _

* * *

**Love Detector**

Without thinking it through any further, I drove up to La Push. Thinking was bad, I would most likely change my mind and turn around like the coward I was, and that wasn't fair to Jake. He deserved an apology, I couldn't blame him for worrying about me, that's what any normal friend would do.

I feverishly parked my truck when I arrived at Jacob's place, and I walked up to the front door, again blocking out all the thoughts that would make me turn around. I took a deep breath, tentatively knocking on the small, wooden door.

It seemed like no one was going to answer, and that thought tempted me to make an easy escape, but then the door opened with a small shrieking sound.

I spotted Jacob's father, Billy Black, in his wheelchair, and managed to force a smile onto my face.

"Bella! Haven't seen you in a while, how's it going?" Billy said, enthusiastically returning my smile. I guessed this meant that Jake hadn't told him that we weren't on such good terms lately. Just like I hadn't told Charlie, I might add.

"Hey Billy! I'm fine, how are you doing?"

"I'm fine, how's Charlie doing?" He asked.

"He's great." I assured him.

He grinned. "Tell him I said hi."

I nodded and smiled again. "I'll tell him…"

"So, here to visit Jake?" Billy asked, already knowing the answer.

"Actually, yes. Is he home?"

"He's in his garage." Billy informed me, gesturing outside with his hand.

"Oh, right. I'll find him. See you later, Billy."

I walked around the small house, into the backyard and spotted the rather shabby garage. Without thinking I stepped inside, not allowing myself to even _think_ about making a run for it.

Jake seemed very preoccupied, messing with an old car that was parked in the garage, but his head snapped up when he heard me come in, and he looked genuinely surprised.

"Bells?" He said in a questioning tone.

I sighed in relief, he didn't sound angry, which was a good way to start. "Hey Jake… I came here to… apologize. I'm sorry for being so rude to you."

He dropped the tool that he'd been holding and stepped closer to me, hugging me without a warning. "I'm sorry too, Bella… It's not like it's entirely your fault, I acted like a jerk the other day." He muttered.

This was the last thing I would have expected, but I didn't complain and wrapped my arms around him. "It's fine, I know you're only worried about me, which makes you a good friend, instead of a jerk. And besides, you're right… You have no proof whatsoever that me dating a vampire isn't about me becoming immortal anymore." I mumbled.

He released me and slowly shook his head. "As your best friend, it is my duty to trust you. If you say that you love the bloodsucker, and I'm not saying I like the idea… but then I believe you."

I smiled widely at him. "That's enough, Jake… I'm sure that if the two of you try to avoid each other as much as possible, this will all work out fine. I really need my best friend…"

Jacob shrugged, giving me a small smile in return. "Just warn me when it's not a convenient time for me to come around." He suggested.

"I will." I promised him.

"It's a deal then." He said, sounding happier than I had heard him in a long time. "So, since you're here now, are you going to help me fix my car?" He asked after a short moment of silence.

I snorted at the thought of me fixing a car. "Sure, because I'm known for my expertise on car mechanics." I replied in a mock sarcastic tone.

He grinned. "Oh I know, why else would I ask you…"

I felt a huge wave of relief, since I was clearly forgiven, but I didn't want to broach the subject that I'd originally wanted to talk about when I'd decided to visit my friend. It always brought out the worst in Jake, and I didn't want to fight after we had just made up, so I decided to let it drop.

I did stay over at Jacob's place for the rest of the afternoon and helped him in the garage. Of course 'helping' was a big word, he was working and I was watching him while we chatted. We had enough catching up to do, but I was careful to avoid the subject of vampires, and I tried not to mention Edward's name, although I wasn't sure whether it was for Jacob's sake or mine.

I had a lot of explaining to do to Edward... I had ran away like an idiot this morning, practically telling him to leave me alone, and at this point he was probably very worried.

"I should go, Jake. We don't want Charlie to prepare his own food, he's a horrible cook. Allowing him to make his own dinner equals murder." I said in a joking tone when it was around five. I got up from the old, wooden chair in the corner of the workplace.

"Oh right, sure." He said, also getting up in order to walk me to my truck.

We walked in silence and he was watching me intently as I got into the old vehicle. He gave me an intense gaze when I started the engine.

"I'll see you soon?" My words came out as a question.

"Yes… And please, please Bella… Be careful." He said in a serious tone, never taking his eyes away from mine.

"Thanks Jake, I'll be fine." I assured him, trying to sound confident.

"Alright then… Bye, Bells."

"See you, Jake."

I waved at him before driving off, and I followed the muddy, unpaved road that led back to the main road. On my way back to Forks I felt slightly better than I had this morning. Life was already complicated enough at the moment, and I needed my best friend, now more than ever…

xxx

When I got home, Charlie was already there, and I apologized for being late. He assured me that it didn't matter, and I quickly started to make us a simple dinner, eager to get it over with because I was planning on visiting Edward afterwards.

We had barely finished eating, when I started to do the dishes in a rush.

Charlie questioningly raised his eyebrows at me. "You're in a hurry." He observed.

"Oh, yeah, I was planning on seeing Edward tonight." I admitted.

"Ah okay… Don't stay out too late." He muttered, probably recalling one of those nights when I'd gone on a vampire hunt with Jake.

"I won't." I promised.

I finished the dishes and sprinted up the stairs, in order to quickly brush my hair, trying to make myself look a little more presentable. I stumbled into my room, but I was distracted and tripped when I saw that he was already there, sitting on my bed. I was mentally preparing myself for another meeting with the hard floor, but his strong arms caught me before I had a chance to do so.

"Edward." I exclaimed as I clung to him, determined to never let him go.

"Are you alright? You look a bit flustered." He murmured, tightening his grasp on me a little more. "And you seemed so upset this morning… I wanted to talk to you earlier, but I figured you needed some alone time."

I rested my head on his shoulder and mindlessly stared out of my window, avoiding his gaze. "I'm fine... I love you." I choked out.

"I know, sweetheart. I love you, too, more than my own existence." He simply said. His hands were lazily tracing patterns on my back now, and it made me shiver, in a good way.

"No, Edward, you don't know, that's the problem." I blurted out.

This time he pushed me back slightly, placing one of his long, pale fingers under my chin, lifting it up so I was forced to look at him. "What are you talking about, love?"

"Rosalie…" I started.

"Has some huge issues that she has to work out, like I said before, it has nothing to do with you." He interrupted me.

"No, she's right, Edward! How can you know that I truly love you? All you have is my word, I might as well still be after immortality!"

He gave me an incredulous look, arching one of his eyebrows. "I know you love me, so please don't worry about that."

I sighed. "How can you be so sure?"

He shrugged. "I just know, Bella. Something as strong as our love can't be faked, don't you agree?"

"I guess… but still, I can't believe that you trust me… I wish I could give you some sort of proof, anything…"

Suddenly the serious expression on his face was gone and he chuckled lightly. "I've never needed any reassurance that you love me, Bella, but today I sort of accidently got some solid proof that your love for me is true."

I frowned in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you know that Alice and I have special gifts, but I didn't tell you that Jasper also has a special gift." Edward explained.

"Really? What's his gift?" I asked curiously.

"Jasper can feel other peoples' emotions, and also, he can manipulate them."

"Wow, that's pretty cool." I stated, impressed. "So you mean that he can feel if I…" I trailed off suggestively.

Edward grinned at me, the liquid gold in his eyes was dancing. "He is like a walking love detector… I saw it in his thoughts when you visited us this morning, no one can fake emotions like that... But you have to know, I always knew that you truly loved me, otherwise I would've never taken the risk to be with you in the first place…"

"I don't deserve you." I mumbled pathetically, snuggling closer to him.

"I believe it's the other way around." Edward argued.

"I suppose that means that we both don't deserve each other." I said dryly.

He snorted and scooped me up into his arms, which caused me to let out a small giggle.

"You liked the whole kidnapping thing, am I right?" Edward said playfully, changing the subject.

"Loved it… If you're going to tell me where we're going, that is. I still hate surprises." I reminded him, giving him a warning glare that was probably very unimpressive to a vampire.

"Yes, I'll tell you… I still didn't get a chance to give you a tour of the house… We don't have to do that now, but I want to show you my room, at the very least."

"Really?" I asked in surprise, not expecting that.

"Only if you want to, of course. I understand if you don't feel like going back there today…"

"No! I want to go." I swiftly interrupted him. I had acted like a stupid cow this morning, and I wanted to make it up to him. Besides, I was very curious to see his room.

He smiled brightly at me, it was the uneven smile that I loved so much. "It so happens that my room also has a window, so you won't have to worry about running into annoying vampires." He said, winking at me.

He opened the window and was about to jump out, when I recalled Charlie's existence.

"Wait, Edward. I'm going to tell Charlie that I'm going to turn in early, since I told him that my original plan was to visit you." I said, making a face. "Or I could not tell him and take my truck… but I prefer the window."

"Oh, right." He set me back on my feet again. "Hurry back to me." He purred in his irresistible voice.

My heart was working overtime by now, and I hurried down the stairs before composing myself, in an attempt to look tired when I entered the living room.

"Hey kiddo, still here? I thought you were going to see the Cullens." He said, not looking up from the TV.

"Yeah that was the plan, but I'll see Edward tomorrow, I'm going to get some sleep, I'm just really tired." I lied.

"Alright, goodnight, Bells." He mumbled, all the while staring at the screen in deep concentration.

"Night, dad." I replied before making my way back upstairs.

Edward smirked at me as I stepped into my room.

"You horrible liar, you're lucky that your father was so absorbed in the game." He teased me.

"Yeah, yeah." I grumbled. "Start kidnapping me already!"

"Patient as ever." He said in a mocking tone, but he lifted me up into his arms again and I smiled smugly.

The trip to his house was short, but I enjoyed it all the same. When the white mansion came into sight, my heart briefly picked up speed, but I mentally scolded myself that there was nothing to worry about. Edward had promised me that this wouldn't be a repeat of this morning's disaster. And either way, I would simply ignore any of Rosalie's comments if we did happen to see her… Because I knew I loved Edward, and I knew that he believed me. To me, that was all that counted.

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_That's it for today! I promise to update soon. :)_


	18. The Vision

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you so much for reviewing; _**Animal8, Rosalies-Evil-Twin, Britt, Gnomegirl13, Sprinter1, AutumnOtts, Jm1708, LoveTeamEdward, Porcelain-Shadow**_ and _**LisaCA**_! :D You guys are the best!_

_So first of all, I apologize for the late update. The thing is, because of my job I barely have time to breathe at the moment, let alone write. :( Thank you for being patient with me! You can't imagine how annoying it is to have a story that's completely thought out in your head, when you simply don't have the time to write it down properly._

_To Rosalies-Evil-Twin: Yeah, that part was very funny, too! xD And I know that song! I heard it on the radio the other day. :D_

_To Sprinter1: If Bella's going to talk about it to Jake, it won't be until much later… She doesn't want to put their friendship at risk again, so she tries to avoid the subject of vampires for a while. ;)_

_To AutumOtts: Yeah, peach! 8) Awesome. :p_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Ja dat viel nog mee. (a) De echte problemen beginnen nu pas te komen. xD _

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Good to know that this story makes your day. :D_

_To LisaCA: Yes, holding grudges is very unlike Jake, so I decided it was time for them to make up. ;)_

_Alright, new chapter, enjoy! :D_

* * *

**The Vision**

Edward came to a stop next to one of the high walls of the Cullen mansion, and he looked up at the window that I assumed led to his room.

"Perhaps you should close your eyes again, this might be scary for you." Edward suggested when I threw him a questioning look.

"Hey! I'm not that big a wimp." I complained.

He smirked at me, humor in his shining eyes. "Oh I know you aren't, but it's rather high."

"I'll survive." I muttered.

He let out a small chuckle that I most likely wasn't supposed to hear. "Fine, whatever you want, love."

He tightened his grip on me, and I managed to keep my eyes open for two whole seconds. After that he jumped and my stomach started to turn in response. I got dizzy while he smoothly climbed to the second storey of the house and I decided on closing my eyes after all, even if it meant that I had to admit that he'd been right. Stupid know-it-all vampire.

"It's safe to open them now." His amused, velvety voice whispered in my ear.

My eyes flew open, and I immediately used the opportunity to roll them at him. "Don't say anything." I warned him.

"Wasn't going to." He replied, giving me one of his adorable, innocent expressions.

How a vampire could manage to look this cute was still a mystery to me, even after all these weeks of knowing Edward. Most of the books and movies showed vampires with large fangs, covered in blood, and matching, zombie-like expressions on their faces… They clearly had it all wrong, because this perfect creature was nothing like that.

He released me, placing me on the fluffy, golden carpet, which covered a big part of the floor in his room. I curiously glanced around, taking in the other surroundings, only to come to the conclusion that he had a spectacular view. Just like the living room, his room also had one enormous wall that was completely made out of glass. It looked out over the rainy forest, it was a very peaceful sight.

I was surprised when I noticed that the room was lit by candles, and I snorted as I gazed behind me at the window, from where he was silently watching me. "Problems with the electricity? Someone forgot to pay the bill?" I teased him.

He shot me a playful glare and ran one of his hands through his already messy hair. "I wanted to cheer you up, it seemed you had a rough day." He defended himself.

"That… and you are a hopeless romantic." I accused him, smiling smugly.

"So maybe I am… sue me. Besides, most girls like it that way… but I succeeded in picking out the one girl who doesn't." He muttered, the last part more to himself than me.

I laughed at his disconcerted face and stepped closer to him, throwing my arms around him. "I was only teasing you, Edward. I like it very much." I assured him, whispering in his ear.

I felt his arms snake around my waist, and he rested his head on my shoulder. "You're evil." He murmured.

I wanted to respond, but before I had any chance at all, he lowered his head a little more, and I became aware of the feeling of his cold, smooth lips pressing against the side of my neck. Without thinking I lifted up my head to give him better access, and he kissed a path from my neck to the soft spot beneath my ear. After that he kissed his way back, all the way to the hollow at the base of my throat. My breathing became erratic, and my mind went blank.

"I'm evil?" I panted when I could speak again. "Says the vampire who's sucking on my throat!"

"It sounds very, very bad when you say it that way." He said in a low voice, his breathing also uneven.

"Hmm yeah, very bad." I dumbly repeated his words, unable to form any coherent thoughts at the moment. "Please keep going."

He laughed lightly at my comment, and his lips stopped attacking my throat. He gazed up at me with the topaz eyes I liked so much, and he gently rested his forehead against mine. "Silly human, it's stupid to trust a vampire."

"Stupid's my middle name." I said in a mock cheerful tone. I reached up my hands and lightly stroked through his silky, bronze hair.

"You're not stupid." He disagreed, lightly pecking me on the lips. "But your unconditional trust in me is definitely not in your best interest."

I sighed in exasperation and let go of him, walking over to the large couch in the middle of the room and sitting down. Apparently there was no bed, which was to be expected, seeing as vampires didn't need to sleep.

"You know, you keep saying that… But I've been hanging out with you for quite some time now, and I'm still here, and alive, and healthy, happy even…" I protested. "You think I have too much faith in you, but maybe you simply have too little faith in yourself."

He hesitantly followed my example and sat down next to me, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You always manage to turn things around in a way that makes me look good, Bella… Did it ever occur to you that you might be a bit biased?" He was half teasing, half serious.

"No." I answered stubbornly. "I'm afraid you'll have to do something really disturbing, in order for my opinion about you to change."

"Always so stubborn." He murmured, moving closer and pulling me into his embrace again, nuzzling his face in my hair.

A long moment passed and eventually I pulled back a little, so I could gaze at his pretty face. It didn't take long before my eyes wandered to his smooth lips. I wanted to kiss those lips, and I leaned in before he could start another lecture on how dangerous this was.

He watched me cautiously and I gave him the puppy eyes.

"One little kiss, Edward?"

"There she goes again, seducing the vampire." He said, giving me his uneven grin.

"Well, is it working?" I asked.

Without further hesitation, he closed the distance between us and brushed his cold lips against mine. I was taken by surprise at first, but soon I enthusiastically started to move my lips against his. I lightly sucked on his bottom lip, tasting the sweet combination of cinnamon and honey. '_Part of the lure', _his words from earlier were echoing through my head. Well, I couldn't care less about the lure, this was heaven. It didn't escape my attention that he was being less careful than usual, but I wasn't complaining...

Until suddenly, he froze completely, his flawless lips perfectly still against mine. My heart skipped a beat, and briefly I was wondering if I had pushed him too far this time…

"Edward?" I mumbled against his lips.

He slowly pulled back, a look of horror on his perfect, pale face. It almost seemed as if he was in some sort of trance and I moved to the other end of the couch, giving him some space.

"I-I'm… sorry." I stuttered.

He snapped out of his daze, and shook his head. "Our kiss was not the problem… Alice…" He whispered, his voice almost inaudible.

"Alice?" I asked in confusion. "What about her? Is she alright?"

He ignored my question. "Alice!" He said louder this time, rather calling her than simply mentioning her name.

A few seconds later the door flew open, and Alice skipped into the room. The shocked look on her face mirrored Edward's, and I was starting to wonder what the hell was going on here.

"I'm sorry, Edward." Alice said quietly to her brother.

"About what?" I asked again, this time in general, hoping that someone would answer me.

"It's not your fault, you seeing this is merely an advantage, it gives us some time to come up with ideas to prevent it from happening." Edward said as he got up from the couch and started pacing around the room.

"I'm sure it will be alright." Alice mused, her face a little more relaxed now. "There are seven of us, and as far as I can see, she's alone."

"I thought we had made ourselves perfectly clear to her. Seven years isn't nearly enough to make a vampire forget about something like a death threat." Edward all but growled as he stopped his pacing and let himself fall down on the couch again.

"Hello!" I exclaimed in an annoyed tone. "Non-mindreading, non-psychic human here! Will someone tell me what the hell is going on?"

Alice turned to look at me, and she was clearly deliberating. She threw Edward a wary glance, as if she was waiting for his approval, but he shook his head.

"No." He groaned.

Alice sighed and made a face at her brother. "You can't keep everything from her, Edward. Welcoming her into your life also means welcoming her into your world. And other than that, this _is_ about her, it's only fair to tell her what's going on."

Edward glared at her. "There's nothing she can do, anyway! We'll only fill her head with unnecessary worries."

"Oh for god's sake, Edward! We're talking about Bella here, she knows the world isn't made out of sunshine and rainbows, give her some credit please."

I had kept quiet during their argument, but this was getting ridiculous. "In case no one noticed, Bella is right here, and she would like to know what this is all about." I pointed out, speaking of myself in the third person, not even trying to hide my irritation.

Alice gave her brother a smug smile, and then he groaned in defeat. "Fine! I you want to frighten her with this, be my guest!"

"Good." Alice said in a business like tone.

She squeezed herself on the sofa between me and Edward, which earned her another glare from him.

"Alright, what do you remember about the first time you saw Edward?" Alice started, looking at me expectantly.

I shrugged, what was there to tell, really? "He saved my life… There was a creepy woman with red eyes which I assumed also was a vampire… She wanted to have me for dinner, but he fought her off." I summarized, trying to sound indifferent, not wanting Edward to switch into overprotective-mode again.

"Okay." Alice said, nodding and smiling approvingly.

If I didn't know better, I would've thought of this as an insult; her expectations about the human memory obviously hadn't been very high. But Edward had once told me that Alice had no memories whatsoever about her time as a human, so I ignored it.

"So that was the last time you saw her, but it wasn't the last time _we_ saw her…" Alice continued.

I frowned. "She came after Edward?"

"Not exactly." Alice said softly, seeming a little uneasy now. "She wanted to finish what she'd started, she came after you…"

I swallowed loudly as I took that in. "Do I really smell _that_ appetizing?" I muttered when my racing heart calmed down again.

"That's a question you might not want to ask _me_." Edward mumbled, it seemed he had recovered some of his humor.

I snorted. "I know that I smell… special, to you. But surely not to all vampires?"

"I don't think that was it… She knew that she had broken the rules, big time. She had told a human about her secret, and the human lived to tell the tale." Alice explained. "I guess she wanted to make sure that you didn't talk."

This was getting more and more confusing, if she had come after me again, seven years ago, how was I still alive? "How am I still alive, then?" I voiced my thoughts.

"Because I didn't let her get to you." Edward offered in a strained voice. "I kept her from coming after you, time and time again. It was easy for her to follow your scent and go after you, and she tried, but of course I couldn't let that happen."

I gaped at him in disbelief. "Why?" I finally asked. "Vampires kill humans all the time… why did you go through so much trouble? Did you know about… this?" I blurted out, waving my hand between the two of us."

"No, trust me, I swear I didn't know…" Edward assured me quickly. "All I could think was, _not her_…"

I bit my lip, thinking about the impossibility of a vampire as my own guardian angel, without me even knowing… "So what happened?" I asked after a short silence.

"Emmett happened." Alice stated dryly. "Well all of us happened actually, but Emmett is the most scary, I suppose. After a few days of chasing her around, we basically told her to leave Forks, because she was causing troubles for us by killing humans. We told her to leave you alone, and never come back."

"And she let go of her plans, just like that?" I wondered out loud.

Edward nodded and continued his sister's explanation. "We assured her that we would make sure that you wouldn't talk, and that you would most likely forget anyway, seeing as you were a small child with a lot of fantasy. Since there were seven of us and she knew she could never win, she complied, and she left the area. Shortly after, summer break ended, and you returned to your mother in Phoenix. We never spotted the redhead again after that, but I had seen in her thoughts that she wasn't a tracker, so we were positive that she was unable to follow you to Arizona."

"And she never came back during my other vacations? Or when I came to live here with my dad?" I asked.

"No, we never caught her scent again." Edward clarified.

"Okay… so what does all of this… have to do with the present?" I shot them the most important question.

Alice sighed and took one of my hands in her tiny, cold hands. "I had a vision, just now… She's planning on coming around in a few days, and when she does, she will most definitely catch your scent… It's a small town, and it won't be long until she discovers that there also are the scents of several vampires around you… I don't think she will stay away, she might want to make contact with either us, or you. And even_ if_ it is merely out of pure curiosity, humans are still on her menu... Not to mention, you and the redhead have a history, and vampires don't forget easily…"

"Oh, they do forget _some_ things." Edward interrupted his sister in an icy tone. "I think she forgot I told her that I would rip her throat out if she ever came around again."

I used my free hand to take his and I laced my fingers through his, squeezing gently in an attempt to calm him down. "I understand that this is… bad. But on the other hand, Alice is right… there are still seven of you, and she's alone."

Edward sighed. "I know, love. It's just that I… I don't want to put your life at risk because of what I am."

"It's my choice, too." I reminded him. "I want to be with you, as much as you want to be with me."

Alice laughed quietly. "I think this is my cue to leave." She said suggestively. She released my hand, got op from the couch and lightly patted my head. "Don't worry too much, please. We will make sure that she doesn't get to you."

She darted out of the room and softly closed the door behind her.

I turned to face Edward, and it seemed that his thoughts were miles away. "Please don't worry, love." He said when he caught me staring at him, giving me an apologetic smile.

"I'm fine." I said, partly telling the truth. The thought of a hostile vampire coming after me wasn't very comforting, but I still had my hero to protect me.

"I'll make sure she doesn't get a chance to do as much as looking at you." He whispered, wrapping his arms around me in a movement that was too fast for my human eyes to follow. He crushed me against his chest and I inhaled his sweet, calming fragrance. His hands softly stroked my hair, and he kept holding on to me as if he were scared that I would disappear into thin air the second he let go.

Despite the shocking information Alice had shared with us a few minutes ago, I sighed in contentment at the feeling of being safe in his arms. I lightly kissed a place on the cold skin of his neck that I was able to reach, trying to comfort him.

"I'm not scared, Edward, I trust you… and I know you will keep me safe…"

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_Thanks for reading! :D I promise I will try to update as soon as I can. _


	19. Preparations

_Hi there, folks! 8)_

_How's it going? xD_

_Thank you for the awesome reviews; _**Animal8, Britt, Gnomegirl13, Lil miss bella cullen, Jm1708, AutumnOtts, Sprinter1, A. Good , Porcelain-Shadow **_and _**LoveTeamEdward**_! :D You guys make my day! And thanks for the bronze stars, AutumnOtts, they remind me of Edward's hair. xD_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Oooh, ja dan viel het mee voor jou, inderdaad. xD Geen zorgen, Jacob gaat niet meer voor serieuze problemen zorgen in dit verhaal. ;)_

_Alright, frequently asked question: __**Is Victoria going to bring James and/or Laurent?**_

_The answer to that question is no, and maybe some of you are disappointed because of that, so I'll tell you why: If she would bring them, this would be a lame repeat of Twilight, and I'm trying to avoid that at all costs.  
That is also the reason why Jacob isn't turning into a werewolf in this story, because that would be a repeat of New Moon. Basically, I'm trying to keep all my stories as original as possible, and I'm trying to avoid any repeats from the actual books. I'm not saying there won't be any werewolves, though. ;)_

_Other frequently asked question: __**How long will this story be?**_

_As far as I can tell at this point, after this there are three more chapters left._

_Okay, enough babbling… On with the story, have fun! :D_

* * *

**Preparations**

All of us were sitting at the large, round table in the Cullens' dining room. I figured that this room was rarely used, since the Cullens bringing home their food seemed very unlikely to me. Edward wanted to have this meeting in order to plan what the next step would be, and so the whole family had gathered here, in this nicely decorated room that was never used for its real purpose.

"Alright, I propose we take shifts. No matter what, from the second Alice sees the redhead entering the area around Forks, someone will _always_ stay with Bella, at all times." Edward suggested. "We can't take any risks."

"Wouldn't that cause even more trouble? I mean when the smell of vampires is all around her… It will make it even more tempting. And other than that, the woman will know that Bella certainly hasn't forgotten about vampires…" Alice said.

"I don't think that it really matters anymore, our scent is spread all over the town." Carlisle interrupted her.

"Good, then I suggest we take turns in watching Bella, we can't let her out of our sight for a second." Edward stated determinedly.

"What about schooldays?" Jasper asked thoughtfully. "You only see her in biology class, she doesn't have any other classes with any of us…"

"The woman's not a total savage." Carlisle said calmly. "Even she wouldn't be as stupid as to attack in the middle of a classroom full of teenagers."

"I think we should drop all the stupid strategies and look for her ourselves!" Emmett exclaimed suddenly, a hint of excitement in his voice. "Let's rip her into a million pieces before she even has a chance to do something evil!"

Carlisle sighed. "Picking a fight isn't always the answer, Emmett. We have to avoid a confrontation if we can."

Emmett's face dropped, like the face of a small child who had just lost his favorite toy.

"Maybe we should keep her here, it's easier to protect her here." Esme suggested. "Bella can stay over at our house until it's safe again." Her face seemed to relax a little at the thought of keeping me here, far away from the big, bad world full of violent vampires.

"It's a normal school week, Charlie is going to be suspicious, big time." I told her quietly, speaking up for the first time. I had no experience when it came to handling a menacing vampire, which meant that I didn't want to interfere with their plans. Anything I would suggest would probably sound dumb and useless.

"But your safety is important." Esme argued.

"Perhaps, but so is keeping this family's secret from the people of Forks." I muttered, feeling a little guilty for all the trouble I was causing.

"I have an excellent solution." Rosalie, who had been silently glaring around the entire time, offered all of the sudden.

Edward growled. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, Rose."

"What?" She questioned, clearly faking innocence.

"Mind to share with the rest of us, you two?" Carlisle pressed, looking from Edward to Rosalie.

Rosalie threw Edward a smug glance before turning to Carlisle. "I suggest that he changes her, he wants to keep her, right? If he wants to stay with her, it will happen eventually."

"Rosalie, please behave." Carlisle said tiredly. "This is hardly the time to discuss _that_."

"What? It's what she wants anyway, it's like I'm picking her side." Rosalie muttered, although she had slightly composed herself beneath the warning stares of both Carlisle and Esme.

I felt a little uncomfortable again, but I knew better than to argue with Rosalie. She already hated me, no need to give her any reasons to make it even worse. And even if she implied that I was still only after immortality, I knew now that Edward didn't believe that, and that was enough to ease my mind.

Edward ignored her last comment, and glanced around the table, until his eyes rested on Alice. "Alice, keep looking out for the woman, and warn me if anything changes."

"I will." Alice stated firmly.

"As soon as she reaches Forks, we're going to watch her every move… We'll make sure she can't get anywhere _near _Bella." He said in a final tone, this time in general.

"We'll do everything within our power, son." Carlisle assured him, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Thanks." Edward murmured, swiftly looking down at me.

His eyes were troubled, and they appeared to be darker than usual. I guessed it meant that he had to hunt, soon. That thought was a little disturbing, I didn't want him to leave my side when there was an evil vampire on the loose… But of course he would make sure that someone else of his family would watch me, and it made me feel guilty again.

"Thank you, all of you." I whispered, knowing that they could hear me anyway with their oversensitive hearing. "I'm sorry, for causing so many problems." I added, speaking a little louder.

"Oh dear, you're a part of the family now, you're not causing any problems at all, it will all turn out alright." Esme responded immediately. She was at my side in a heartbeat, and hugged me firmly. "It will be fine, you'll see." She said softly, lightly rubbing my arms.

Her comforting words made me feel better instantly, and a small smile found its way onto my face. "Thank you, thank you for everything." I told her sincerely.

xxx

After the short meeting had ended, Edward decided that it was time for me to go home and get some sleep. For some reason I didn't feel tired at all, but I also didn't feel like arguing tonight, and I complied without being difficult.

"We're here, you can look again." Edward said with a gentle voice.

I opened my eyes and we were back in my room. He carefully placed me on the bed and I curiously gazed up at him.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" I asked, pleading.

His serious expression slowly turned into a tiny smile and he pressed his lips into a line to keep from smirking. "Sure, I'll stay as long as you want me to stay."

I gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, I know she isn't around, yet, but I do need someone to keep the nightmares away."

"I will, love. I'll keep the nightmares away, and the evil vampires… and every other bad thing that comes on your path." He whispered, smiling down at me, and gently stroking my cheek with the back of his cool hand.

I jumped up from the bed and gave him a brief but firm hug. "I know you will… I'm going to need a little time to be human now and take a shower. Don't go anywhere." I warned him.

He chuckled softly. "I wouldn't dare, especially not with your threatening glare." He said in mock horror.

"Well excuse me for not being able to intimidate a vampire." I complained, making a face at him.

"Hmm, well, if it's any consolation, you are rather good at _seducing _them." He replied, giving me a wicked grin.

"You're right, it seems I am… Okay, I'm going to hit the shower, might as well make an effort to smell nice if I'm going to try and seduce my vampire boyfriend." I teased him.

I grabbed my toilet bag and my oversized t shirt and sweatpants, as he sat down on my bed watching my every move. I gave him a last smile before making my way to the bathroom. I turned on the hot water of the shower, hoping that it would warm me up a little.

The warm water definitely relaxed my tense muscles, and for a brief moment I actually forgot about my problems, only focusing on the nice feeling of the water cascading down my back, and the beautiful man that was waiting for me in my room.

When I entered my room again, I saw that Edward was still sitting on the edge of my bed, waiting for me, looking at me appreciatively.

"Like what you see?" I asked skeptically, knowing that my worn-out sleeping outfit did nothing to make me look better.

"Yes, very much. And you were right, you smell exquisite." He said seriously.

I snorted. "Thanks, I think."

I searched the room for my hairbrush, and when I found it I sat down next to Edward. I started to violently attack my hair with the brush, until he gently pried it out of my fingers.

"You must be hurting yourself, why don't you let me do that." He offered.

"You don't have to do that." I protested.

"Just turn around and relax." He said, ignoring my protest.

I did as he asked, sitting Indian style on the bed, my back to him. A shiver ran down my spine as he gently started to stroke the brush through my damp hair. To say it felt nice would be an understatement. He kept repeating the motion, and it was very relaxing.

"That feels nice, Edward. Very relaxing." I murmured, leaning into him.

He laughed silently and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me against his chest. I leaned in a little more and he continued to fumble with the damp strands of my hair.

"Relaxing was exactly the effect that I was going for." He whispered in my ear, using a mock conspiratorially tone.

I shivered again at his cold breath tickling my hair, and he stopped his actions.

"You're cold, aren't you?" He asked, concerned.

"I'm not cold." I answered truthfully. "That was another one of those good shivers."

"Oh… you seem to have them a lot, when I'm around you." He said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Yes, would you like an award? A medal perhaps?"

"How about a prize that is a bit more special." He purred in my ear, pulling me impossibly closer to him.

He lightly skimmed his cold nose against my jaw, and my heart skipped a beat in surprise.

"S-sure… what did you… have in mind." I stuttered.

"This." He whispered, before he started to kiss a path along my jaw line.

I slightly turned my head to help him out, and he kissed his way up, pausing at the corner of my mouth. He was such a tease. I didn't give him a chance to torture me some more, and turned my head a few more inches, pressing my lips against his.

He smiled against my lips and responded immediately, carefully brushing his lips against mine. Too soon for my liking he pulled away, and I had a pretty good idea why.

"You're thirsty." I stated, tracing the purple bruises underneath his dark eyes.

"Nothing I can't handle." He whispered.

I sighed, I didn't want him to be in pain because of me. "Stubborn vampire, you'll have to hunt sooner or later."

Edward shook his head and briefly closed his eyes. "Not right now, I think you can imagine why."

"There's still time." I reminded him.

He seemed to be deliberating for a short moment, but then he sighed in defeat. "You know what? I'll take a short hunting trip in the morning, I can skip a few hours of school, and at least I'll know that you'll be considerably safe there."

"That's better." I said approvingly, rewarding him with a small kiss on his icy cheek.

He grinned at me."Seeing as you won't have to worry about me anymore, I think you should go to sleep now."

"What if I told you I'm not sleepy?" I tried, suppressing a yawn.

"I would say… you are a liar." He replied teasingly.

"Fine." I grumbled, reluctantly detaching myself from him and crawling under the covers.

He was beside me in an instant, and he wrapped his cold arms around me. I snuggled into his chest and my eyelids started to droop.

"Sweet dreams, my love." He whispered next to my ear.

"Good… night Edward." I mumbled. "And thank you."

"For what?"

"For looking… after me… I still can't believe… went through all the trouble… save me… seven years ago…" Forming a normal sentence was getting harder.

"You're more than worth it, love. Now sleep." His velvety voice commanded gently.

"Love… you… Edward…" Was the last thing I managed to blurt out, before I slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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_That's it for today, thanks for reading! :D I promise I will update as soon as I have time. _


	20. Losing The Future

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you for reviewing; _**Animal8, LoveTeamEdward, AutumnOtts, Britt, Jm1708, Sprinter1, A. Good, Gnomegirl13, Avatarofdiscord**_, _**Porcelain-Shadow **_and _**Lil miss bella cullen**_! :D_

_To AutumOtts; Yaaaay thanks, emerald! Reminds me of Edward's eyes when he was still human… Wait… I have serious issues. xD _

_To Jm1708: Lol, yeah Rosalie's idea wasn't even that bad. :p_

_To Britt: Lol, it's a little off topic, but alright, my opinion on this problem with the rating of the Breaking Dawn movie, for people who don't care, just skip this part. :p_

_You see the thing is, in the book we also don't actually get to see the sex scenes. Of course there is the suggestion that Bella and Edward have sex, which is essential to the main plot, but there is no actual description of it happening. I think the main reason Meyer did this, is because this way, the books would also be suitable for a younger audience. And because she made this decision, a large part of the target group for the Twilight saga consists of young teenagers. They make up a huge part of the Twilight-fandom, and that's why I think it's only fair to skip the sex scenes, in order to give them a chance to also enjoy the movie. Besides, I don't really look at it as messing up the books, since the explicit scenes also weren't included in the book. As long as the suggestion is there (they start kissing, etc, and then there's a fade out, the same as there was in the book) I'm pretty sure everybody knows what they are up to. :p And that's really the only thing needed for the plot (Bella getting pregnant) to make sense._

_But that's only my personal opinion of course, I don't think those scenes are truly necessary to make the movie a success, but that's just me. ;) I am twenty-three by the way, so in the end, for me it doesn't really matter what rating the movie gets. I do agree with you that if they do decide to include those scenes, they should just go with the R rating, that way everyone knows what time it is, and you won't have the usual problems with complaining parents. :p_

_To Gnomegirl13: Yes! Sam will be there. ;)_

_To Porcelain-Shadow: Good to know that my writing reminds you of the books, that's a good thing. :D_

_Okay, new chapter, have fun! :)_

* * *

**Losing The Future**

A gentle, cold brush against my forehead was what woke me up the next morning. I slowly opened my eyes and squinted them against the bright light that was streaming through the only window in my small room. It seemed like it was one of those rare, sunny days in Forks. Edward was kneeling next to my bed, and a few streaks of sunlight were able to reach the skin of his smooth face, causing it to shine like diamonds. This way he truly looked like an angel, and I smiled lazily at him, reaching out my hand to stroke his shining cheek.

"Edward." I mumbled sleepily, tracing his cold skin.

He laughed lightly. "Good morning, my beautiful Bella."

I grinned like a maniac. "Good morning."

"It seems this is your kind of day, the sun is shining."

"It is." I agreed, the grin still in place. "Wait… You're leaving…" I added in a slurry voice, still half asleep.

"Yes, quick hunting trip, do you remember?" He asked, amusement clear in his voice.

"Yeah I remember… Make fun of the sleepy human, why don't you." I grumbled.

He smirked at me, giving me one of his heart-stopping smiles. "I'm sorry, you're just too funny when you're only half awake… Which reminds me, you're also very interesting when you talk in your sleep..."

_Oh god! No!_ My mom had often told me that I talked in my sleep, but having Edward hear it… That was simply embarrassing. I flushed bright red and sat up straight in a reflex.

"Oh no, what did I say?" I asked in horror, preparing for the worst.

"Hmm, there was this part where you talked about chasing a donut… and of course here and there the regular 'I love you Edward'." He said smugly, deliberately using an offhand tone.

I groaned but soon composed myself. "Well that's nothing you didn't already know."

"I suppose you're right. Although I have to admit that I was a little shocked when I heard the part about the donuts."

"Funny." I mumbled, lightly smacking his arm, making sure I didn't hurt myself.

"Yes, that's me, funny." The sarcasm was evident in his voice, which only made me laugh more.

"I like you, even when you're grumpy." I assured him, lovingly stroking through his tousled hair.

"You're more than I deserve." He muttered, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "I'll be back as fast as I can, be safe, love."

"I will." I promised.

He got up and walked over to the window, opening it and gracefully making his way out.

I sighed as I got out of bed, going through my closet to find some clothes. Considering the fact that Edward wouldn't be going to school today for obvious reasons, I still was in a bright mood. How could I not be, with the twinkling rays of sun dancing around my room.

I was already fully dressed and ready, when I glanced at my alarm clock and came to the conclusion that it was still rather early. At least I had some time left to quickly take another look at my trig homework, and so I searched for my books.

After fifteen minutes I gave up, and went downstairs to have some breakfast. I skipped down the stairs, humming some tune, my mood still positively affected by the nice weather.

I mindlessly walked into the kitchen, and it felt like my blood literally froze in my veins when I spotted her, casually leaning against the kitchen sink. I gasped and my feet seemed to be glued to the floor. Screaming and running would have been a more natural reaction, but my brain was unable to convince my feet that they should be moving.

"What... are you doing here?" I breathed, although the answer was pretty obvious.

The beautiful woman with the curly, red hair smirked and rolled her eyes at me. Like Edward, she hadn't aged one day since I had first seen her.

"I think you can guess." She said in her sickly sweet voice.

Oh yeah, I could guess, but there was one thing that I didn't understand… Because_ how_ was it possible that Alice hadn't seen this coming? Of course she had once told me that her visions could change… The future wasn't set in stone, she'd said, and sometimes when people made a different decision, the outcome would change. But still, this wasn't something that she was likely to miss…

"Why after all this time? Why did you decide to come here now?" I blurted out, trying to buy some time. No doubt she was able to kill me in less than a second, but if only I stalled enough so Alice would see…

She shrugged, seeming indifferent. "I didn't actually plan on coming here today, but I was unexpectedly forced to make a detour… Obnoxious wolves." She was mumbling the last part more to herself than me.

Wolves? Why would a vampire even be bothered by wolves? Edward had told me that vampires could easily win a fight against a _bear_… Surely a wolf wouldn't be a problem then…

"And the first thing you thought of was… visiting me?" I asked in a small voice, desperate to keep her talking.

"I came across your scent, and I couldn't resist the temptation… this is way too easy. And other than that, you and I still have some unfinished business." She simply said. "But you're no stranger to vampires nowadays, are you? I can smell them all over this place." She added, giving me a questioning look, seeming almost fascinated for a split second.

"I have some vampire friends." I replied, trying to sound confident. "In fact… if Edward finds out that you're here, he won't be too happy." It was a lame threat, but the best I could come up with.

To my surprise she laughed a high, humorless laugh. "Edward… the boy, right? Yes, it was pretty clear from the beginning that he had a certain fascination with you… Let's not dwell on that though, I think it would be best for us to leave now, just in case he's on to me. He and his family don't like me very much." She winked at me, as if we were some sort of partners in crime.

I swallowed loudly. "Leave?"

"Yes, leave. Killing the daughter of the Chief of Police and leaving her drained body in his own house would be rather messy, even for me. Let's keep this place clean of your blood." She said.

In one blurry movement she was standing right next to me, and she grabbed my wrist. "Don't be difficult, you can't fight me off." She warned me, before grabbing me around the waist and dragging me out of the back door.

She sprinted into the forest in an unbelievably high speed and the trees flew by us in a blur. Immediately I started to feel nauseous, which made me realize that Edward had always been holding out on me, probably not crossing the speed limit that my weak, human stomach wouldn't be able to handle. Needless to say, this woman couldn't care less about my health, and she gave me a full, unedited view of what vampires were truly capable of.

When she finally came to a stop and let go of me, my head was spinning. I took a few deep breaths, staring at my feet, and when I looked up I saw that we were standing in the middle of a small, open space. She was standing right in front of me, glancing down at me.

"Alright, this is far enough to keep the humans from finding you... Any last wishes?" She asked in a mocking tone as she crouched before me.

My heart was beating violently in my throat, seeming determined to make the best of its last beats. I couldn't manage to look away from her ruby red eyes, and I instinctively did a step backwards. I thought she was going to jump, but suddenly the expression on her face turned from thirsty to annoyed and she growled as she got op from her crouching position.

"Not again." She grumbled, standing behind me in an instant and roughly grabbing my wrist again.

Before I had even time to register what happened, Edward was standing in front of us, looking at me in horror and giving her an infuriated glare. "Let… her… go." He said in a low, strained voice.

The woman laughed. "I'm afraid that it isn't part of my big plan to let her go."

Before I could do so much as blinking, Edward was flanked by Jasper and Emmett, and not much later Carlisle and Alice also appeared.

"Alice! Why didn't you see…" I didn't get a chance to finish my burning question, for the woman nearly crushed my wrist and I screamed in pain.

Edward growled loudly and he wanted to launch himself at her, but both Emmett en Jasper held him back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Edward." The woman purred. "Any movements and the girl will die."

"Let's talk about this." Carlisle suggested, trying to catch the woman's attention, staring her directly in the eye. "The girl is part of our family, I'm sure you can find your meal somewhere else."

I felt a wave of calm come over me, and I raised my eyebrows. Then it occurred to me that Jasper was probably trying to calm her down, even though it seemed a wasted effort at this point; the last thing she was in for was a chat.

I briefly locked eyes with Alice, and it was as if she was giving me an apology with her eyes. I hoped my expression was enough for her to understand that I didn't blame her, I trusted Alice, I was sure she had done everything she could...

The woman answered Carlisle, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I'm afraid there's not much to talk about, you see I've got something that you people want… But you've got nothing to offer me in return… I guess that means that I am keeping the girl as my snack."

"I'm sure we can figure out some sort of arrangement." Carlisle was also trying to buy some precious time.

"Go ahead and make me an offer I can't refuse." She challenged all of them, glancing around the circle of hostile-looking vampires in front of her.

"How about _this_ offer? You'll let her go, and you get to keep your life, seems like an irresistible offer to me." Edward hissed at her. "I'm sure you're a smart woman… Victoria, that's your name, right?" He added, sounding slightly more civil now.

He was obviously picking the information straight out of her brain, and I turned my head a little to swiftly glance at her face and see her confusion.

"And I think you can imagine that if you hurt the girl, we will have nothing to lose, and the five of us will have no trouble whatsoever to take you down." Emmett reminded her, backing up his brother.

"He's right, if she dies, you will, too. I'll make sure of that." Edward snapped at Victoria.

"Do I get some time to decide if it's worth it?" She replied in her high voice, twisting my already hurting wrist a little more, causing me to yelp.

"Believe me, your time is almost up." Alice suddenly spoke up. "And so is ours, for that matter… I'm not sure what's happening..." She added warily.

Everyone turned to stare at the little pixie standing motionlessly, her eyes closed, looking as if she was deeply concentrating on something. When she opened her eyes again, she glanced at Edward, and his face also betrayed his worried state.

"Do you see that?" She whispered. "It happened again."

"I'm sorry." Edward all of the sudden apologized to Alice, making me even more confused. "That's what happened this morning, isn't it? I shouldn't have snapped at you… I understand now."

"What the hell is going on here?" Victoria suddenly demanded, causing me to nearly have a heart attack.

Alice threw her a menacing glare before turning to me, pressing her lips into a hard line. "The future seems to be disappearing lately, it happened this morning, that's why I didn't see this coming, and just now it happened again… I don't know what it means, but it never happened until today, and quite frankly, it's scaring the hell out of me." She was talking to me rather than Victoria.

"The future is disappearing? Does that mean we're all going to die or something like that?" I asked in horror.

Alice shook her head. "Not necessarily. I would see that… I usually do when someone… dies. I think it means something or someone is interfering with fate… I just don't know who or how. But I'm afraid we will find out soon enough…"

"Well, I think this is a rather unimpressive trick to change my plans, but if you don't mind, I'm going to have lunch now." Victoria announced, grabbing me tighter.

"Don't do something you will regret." Carlisle tried one last time.

She snorted, and placed her lips against my throat. Edward growled loudly, and Jasper and Emmett seemed to have some problems to hold him in place.

I closed my eyes, preparing for the pain that would be coming very soon now, but I changed my mind and opened them again, taking one last look at Edward. A few months ago, the thought of dying was the most scary thought in the world… But right now, the only thing that bothered me was that dying meant never seeing Edward again…

"I love you." I whispered inaudibly at him, knowing that he would hear it anyway.

I tightly shut my eyes again, because I couldn't stand to look at the heartbroken expression on his face. But then her cold breath against my neck was gone abruptly, and I slowly opened my eyes again, curious what had caused her distraction.

"No, not again! This day keeps getting worse and worse." Victoria groaned in irritation.

She was staring to the right, and all the Cullens were doing exactly the same. For all I knew, all of them were staring at the trees, since my human eyes couldn't discover anything out of the ordinary. It took all my willpower to keep my mouth shut. I badly wanted to know what was going on, but I also didn't want to draw Victoria's attention back to me.

"Now I see…" Alice said softly.

I squinted my eyes, gazing at the dark forest again, when I spotted them. Three pairs of eyes, lighting up in the dark. They gradually moved closer to the edge of the open space, and I realized I had been holding my breath for so long it started to hurt. I gasped, filling my lungs with some fresh air, all the while keeping my eyes on the approaching danger.

I was unable to keep in my loud scream when the creatures stepped into the light. They were wolves… but definitely not normal wolves. They were huge to say the least, and I struggled to keep breathing. I was dead meat… If I hadn't already been before, I certainly was now.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I noticed that I wasn't the only one looking uneasy. There it was again, vampires being afraid of wolves… it didn't make any sense at all. I vaguely became aware of the fact that Victoria released me, and I started to feel dizzy. This was just too much… Little black spots were dancing in front of my eyes, and then my head started to feel heavy, and my vision went completely black...

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_Thank you for reading! :) I will try to update soon!_


	21. Decisions

_Hey guys! :D_

_Thank you so much for the sweet reviews; _**Gnomegirl13, AutumnOtts, Sprinter1, ****eighteentwelveninetytwo****, LoveTeamEdward, Animal8, Britt**_ and _**Jm1708**_! You guys are amazing! :D And AutumnOtts, thanks for all those wonderful stars! :D_

_To Gnomegirl13: Yeah, the wolves. 8) And earlier you asked if Sam was with them, so yes, the wolves were Sam, Jared and Paul. (Also for the other people who were wondering about that.)_

_To Sprinter1: Yes, you're right, I said more than one vampire. :p And I'm not going to tell you why, because our dearest Edward is going to explain that in this chapter. ;)_

_To __eighteentwelveninetytwo__:_ _Aha, you have a new penname, I like it! :) Great to hear that you still like the story, and that you like my Bella, lol. :p Thank you so much!_

_To LoveTeamEdward: Lol, dankjewel! Ik ben blij dat je de portie drama leuk vond. :p En er komt sowieso geen Jacob drama meer, dat beloof ik plechtig. :p_

_To Animal8: Glad you liked the drama, thanks! :D_

_To Britt: You're welcome! :D And I'm glad you can understand my point of view. _

_To Jm1708: Thanks! It's nice to hear that you like my Bella/Edward!_

_So here it is, new chapter. After this there is one more chapter left! :( *Tries to hold back some tears* xD _

_Alright, enjoy the new chapter! :)_

* * *

**Decisions**

I slowly regained consciousness, tossing and turning in… a bed, or so I assumed. My surroundings were soft and comfortable, which meant that this wasn't the hard, cold forest floor that I would have expected…

Wait a minute, a bed? How long had I been out? And even more important, what had happened after my stupid body had decided to take an unwelcome nap? I remembered the wolves… And the shocked look on Edward's face… Oh god, where was Edward? Was he alright?

I gasped and my eyes flew open. I glanced around the white, sterile hospital room and was met by Charlie's worried stare.

"Bells! You're awake! Do you have any idea how worried I was! What were you thinking, ditching school and wandering around in the forest with Alice and Edward? That bear could've killed you! And then you wouldn't wake up… I was scared to death…" He ranted in an agitated tone.

Uh oh… ditching? Bear? Obviously someone had made up a story to make this whole situation sound believable… And of course I wasn't in on the plan, which complicated things a bit…

"I… I'm sorry?" My words came out as a question, seeing as I wasn't exactly sure what I should be apologizing for.

"You'd better be! You could have died!" Charlie said, panic still evident in his voice.

"I truly am sorry… I… don't know what I was thinking." I said weakly.

A big fat lie, I knew exactly what I'd been thinking… I was either going to be killed by a vampire, or by a pack of giant wolves. How was it possible that I was still alive? Of all outcomes, this one was highly unlikely.

Charlie sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry… for yelling, I'm just so glad that you're alright." He muttered, awkwardly hugging me.

I returned the hug and let out a small shriek of pain when my wrist protested to the movement.

"Doctor Cullen said it's broken." He answered my unspoken question when he released me. "Apparently you fell while running from that bear that you guys came across."

"Ouch, yeah that sounds like me... This doesn't feel good." I complained. "But… Edward and Alice, are they alright?" I asked my dad, my voice trembling slightly.

"They're alright… seems they were lucky… And so were you. Let me make this very clear to you Bella, no more trips in the forest from now on, it's not safe." Charlie said sternly.

I sighed in relief when he confirmed that they were alright. "No dad, no more trips in the forest." I promised solemnly, trying to sit straighter.

Charlie gave me a small smile, seeming more relaxed now. "Good… well I have to get back to the station… Doctor Cullen will check on you later, if everything's alright you'll probably be allowed to go home in a few hours. Just give me a call when I can pick you up."

"I will, dad… thanks… I'm really sorry." I muttered.

"It's fine kiddo… just don't scare me like that again." He replied, lightly squeezing my shoulder and getting up from the wobbly hospital chair. "I'll see you later."

I mindlessly watched him as he made his way out of the room and I let out another sigh of relief. Apparently everyone was alright… and Charlie didn't suspect a thing, so that was good… But I was dying to talk to Edward, I had to know what had happened… My brain couldn't come up with a rational explanation as to how we had all survived this morning's critical situation…

I let myself fall back against the pillows, nervously fumbling with the ugly, yellow hospital sheets. Edward and Alice were probably still at school… If only Carlisle would come to check on me, then I could ask him what was going on…

Just as I was considering looking for Carlisle myself, the door opened, and to my immense surprise Edward walked in, in his usual, graceful way.

"Edward!" I exclaimed. "Oh god I was so worried! You're alright! What happened this morning? How on earth are we still alive? What's up with those wolves? What happened to Victoria?" I immediately bombarded him with questions, not once stopping to take a breath.

He raised his eyebrows, trying to hide his amusement, and failing. "Please calm down, love. Everything turned out fine."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Yes, obviously it did, but I would like to know _how_. And why would a vampire have to worry about a few wolves? And how come Victoria didn't kill me…"

Edward walked over to my bed, sitting down on the chair next to it, and he seemed to be deliberating. "It's a rather long story, maybe I should tell you later."

I stubbornly shook my head. "No way mister, I've waited long enough, you are going to explain everything _right now_!"

He held up his hands in defeat. "Alright fine, I'll tell you everything you want to know."

I smiled in triumph. "Excellent… But first, you're going to hug me, I thought I would never see you again, I was worried sick!" I sat up against the pillows again, and reached out for him.

He gave me his beautiful uneven smile before leaning in to help me out. I felt how he wrapped his cold arms around me and I buried my face in the crook of his neck. For some unknown reason, stupid tears were making their way down my cheeks, and I coughed to cover up a sobbing sound.

Naturally, the vampire wasn't fooled for a second. "Shht, it's alright, love. We're both still here… and together." He whispered in my ear, gently rubbing my back. "Think of it as a bad dream… it's over now."

I calmed down and involuntarily smiled at his sweet attempts to comfort me. After a long moment he released me, but he held on to my hand as he sat down on the old chair again. He brushed away the remaining tears on my cheeks, all the while gazing straight into my eyes with his light-golden orbs.

"What would you like to know first?" He finally broke the silence.

I started with the question that had been bothering me since Victoria had first mentioned the wolves. "Why are vampires scared of wolves? I mean sure, they were huge, but surely no match for a vampire…"

Edward took a deep, unnecessary breath before he began his explanation. "Those wolves… they're not normal wolves, Bella. I suppose humans would refer to them as 'werewolves'. They're members of the Quileute tribe… men who turn into wolves, to protect the tribe…"

I gasped. "Werewolves? Humans turning into wolves? Is there still something normal around here?"

Edward laughed without humor. "I know it's a lot to take in… You see, the werewolves protect their tribe… from vampires. These wolves are one of the few things that are actually lethal to a vampire…"

"So they weren't after me… they weren't even interested in me." I mused. "But wait, then how did _you_ escape them? All of you seemed uneasy when they showed up…"

"Well you see, Carlisle and I made a treaty with the Quileute tribe a long time ago. We explained them that we were different from regular vampires, and they promised to leave us alone as long as we didn't hurt humans and stayed on our own land… But like I said, that was a long time ago, something we arranged with their ancestors… We weren't even aware that there was a new pack active at this moment, and we couldn't be sure that this new generation of werewolves was properly informed about the rules…" Edward said patiently.

I swallowed loudly. "So there was the chance that they would attack all of you…"

"Yes… but they didn't, Bella. Luck was on our side, they were aware of the fact that we weren't the bad guys… and they went after Victoria."

I winced when he said her name.

"What happened to her?" My voice was no louder than a whisper.

For the first time, Edward smiled a genuine smile that reached his eyes. "All we found was a smoking pile with her ashes… The wolves took care of her. She's not a threat anymore, love."

I returned his smile in pure relief. "At least that's one thing less to worry about."

"Yes, it is." Edward agreed.

"I have another question… What was wrong with Alice? How come she didn't see the future?"

"We're not exactly sure…" Edward said thoughtfully. "But next time it happens, at least we will know that it has something to do with the werewolves… For some reason she isn't able to see them, and when some event happens that includes them, parts of the future start to disappear."

"Right, more weird stuff." I mumbled, smiling tentatively at him.

He smiled back and brought my uninjured hand to his lips and lightly kissed my knuckles, making me grin like an idiot.

"What?" He asked, smirking at me.

"Nothing… I just think that it was a very romantic gesture, Mr. Cullen. Which only supports my theory about you being a hopeless romantic." I teased him.

He made a face and was about to respond when the door flew open and Carlisle walked in.

He smiled at me and came to a stop beside where Edward was sitting. "Bella! Good to see that you're finally awake. How are you feeling?"

I thought about that for a second. "I'm feeling alright, I guess… Except for my wrist." I admitted.

Carlisle gave me a knowing look, followed by an apologetic smile. "We made some X-rays and I'm afraid it's broken. You won't be able to use it for at least six weeks... But other than that you're fine."

I pressed my lips into a line as I tried to lift up my painful wrist. "Well it's not that bad… nothing compared to what could've happened."

Carlisle nodded in understanding. "Yes, which brings me to the question; are you mentally alright? I can imagine this must have been very frightening for you."

I shrugged. "I'm over the biggest shock now… and Edward explained me what happened."

"Yes, I figured you would be alright… you're a brave young woman..." Carlisle complimented me. "But I still want to have a little talk with the two of you." He added, briefly glancing at me, before directing his stare at his son.

Edward clenched his jaw and instantly looked irritated. "We don't have to do that now." He said in a strained tone.

He had probably already heard what Carlisle wanted to discuss, through his thoughts, and he didn't make it a big secret that he was far from agreeing with his father.

"I know that if it were up to you, we would _never_ have this talk, but I still think it is necessary. You don't have to decide anything yet, but both of you have to consider some things… make some decisions. Therefore I suggest that we give Bella some privacy to freshen up and get dressed, and after that we can continue this conversation in my office." Carlisle said in a final tone, ignoring the glares his son was currently shooting him.

"Fine." Edward all but growled.

I gave them both a questioning look, getting more confused by the second.

"You'll understand." Carlisle told me with a reassuring smile as he headed for the door.

Edward sighed but followed him, giving me one last, wary glance before he left the room.

What the hell was that all about? I couldn't imagine which subject Carlisle wanted to broach that Edward was so sensitive about. I swiftly skipped into the surprisingly large hospital bathroom. My curiosity had gotten the best of me, and the sooner I got dressed, the sooner I would find out…

xxx

It took me less than ten minutes to get dressed and ready, and a helpful nurse pointed out where Carlisle's office was. The tension in the air was almost tangible the second I stepped into the spacious office. There were some pictures of Esme, and some of Edward and his siblings, but other than that the room was rather empty and sterile, like the rest of the hospital.

Edward turned to look at me, forcing a smile onto his face before pressing his lips into a hard line again. Carlisle on the other hand, was politely smiling at me, apparently still not bothered by his son's attitude.

"I'm here." I announced nervously, trying to break the ice.

"Yes, why don't you have a seat?" Carlisle said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk.

I nodded and slowly sat down, as I watched Edward doing the same on the chair next to me. Carlisle sat down on the large office chair behind his desk, never taking his eyes off of us.

"Alright, no point in beating about the bush." Carlisle started, directly addressing me now. "I think it's necessary that we talk about the situation between you and Edward."

I swallowed loudly. Were we a situation now? What was he saying? Did he want us to break up? My stomach did some flips and I started to feel sick. "Talk about what?" I muttered, trying to keep my voice steady.

"Well obviously, this is not an ideal situation, what happened today… Let's say that it wasn't the first time and it will surely not be the last time that we come across violent vampires. This is what happens when the worlds of vampires and humans collide… When interacting with vampires, coming across others of our kind is inevitable." He explained quietly.

"I guess so…" I replied, not really sure where he was going with this.

"It's needless to say that this is not safe for you… You had a great deal of luck today, but sooner or later, I'm afraid there is a big chance that you won't be so lucky if you keep hanging out with vampires..."

My heart was doing overtime and I bit my lip. "You want me to break up with Edward?" I whispered.

Edward instantly took one of my hands in his icy hand, and shook his head. "No love, that's not what he's saying... "

I gave them both a questioning look.

Carlisle sighed and turned his attention to Edward. "Son, I know you're very opposed to this idea, but you've made it very clear to me that you don't want to live without her… You know it's the only way to truly make this work…"

"No." Edward simply said in a hard tone.

"Does anyone mind telling me what we're talking about here?" I asked impatiently, tired of being in the dark.

"You are a hundred percent sure that you want to stay with Edward?" Carlisle suddenly asked me.

I frowned in confusion, what kind of a question was that? "Of course I do… I love him very much." I blushed as I confessed my feelings for Edward in the presence of his father.

Carlisle smiled, a satisfied look crossing his face. "I've asked Edward to consider changing you… If that is what you want of course." He informed me.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

I hadn't thought about that for ages, and it sort of took me by surprise. I turned my head in order to glance at Edward, and he was blankly staring at some imaginary spot on the wall.

"Even if I do… You don't want to change me." My words were a statement rather than a question.

Edward sighed, removing his eyes from the wall and looking at me. "You know that I can't take away your soul, Bella."

"I don't even want my stupid soul without you, Edward!" I told him, louder than I had planned.

Carlisle coughed lightly, interrupting us. "You don't have to make the decision right away, but in the long run it is something that both of you will have to think about… It's important to decide where to go from here…"

"She stays human." Edward said in a final tone.

Carlisle wasn't giving up that easily, though. "I know that you only want what is best for Bella, Edward, but in the end keeping her human will put her in constant danger… And don't even think about leaving her, Alice saw what happened in the brief moment that you decided that… It will only end in trouble, you can't live without her, and it appears she can't live without you…"

I nearly choked as I took that in. "You considered leaving me! Do you have any idea what that would've done to me?" I accused Edward.

Edward reluctantly met my infuriated glare. "I know exactly what it would have done to you… Alice saw it… And so I couldn't do it." He admitted. "I'm still here, aren't I?"

The mere thought of him leaving me made me sick to my stomach again, and my head was spinning with all the information.

After a long uncomfortable silence, Carlisle broke it. "We'll let it rest for now, but I do suggest that the both of you have a talk about this."

"We will, later. Much, much later." Edward said dismissively, getting up from his chair and reaching out his hand to me.

I hesitantly took it and said a quick goodbye to Carlisle before Edward tugged me out of the office.

My brain was working overtime as Edward led me back to my room without saying a word. Of course Carlisle was right… The best way to make this relationship work was if Edward and I were equals... And I was pretty sure that Edward knew this, too. But it would be one hell of a task to convince him to actually do it…

xxx

I dejectedly stared out of the window of the silver Volvo, watching as trees and houses were passing by. Edward had offered to drive me home, since I was allowed to leave the hospital after they had put a cast around my wrist, and Charlie was still at work.

I felt a little empty, hurt even. Not only because Edward seemed so reluctant to an eternity with me, but also because he had seriously considered leaving me…

"Hey, is everything alright, love?" His gentle, velvety voice disturbed the silence.

"Never better." I muttered sarcastically as I kept staring out of the window, determined to avoid his hypnotizing gaze.

"Very convincing." He mocked me.

Charlie's house came into sight, and he parked the car in the driveway. I made no move to get out, though, and neither did he.

"Please look at me." He said softly. "You have every right to be angry with me, but the least you can do is give me a chance to make it up to you."

I rolled my eyes in defeat and turned to face him. His eyes were that liquid gold and I knew it was his plan to 'dazzle' me.

"That won't work." I grumbled.

"What won't work?" He asked, doing an attempt to sound innocent.

"You know what I'm talking about… And besides Edward, I really don't feel like talking right now."

"I know… Just please, tell me why you're so angry… You know why I don't want to change you…" He murmured.

"Yeah yeah, the excuse about taking away my soul again… But that's not it, is it? You don't want to be stuck with me forever! And honestly, you know what? I can't even blame you, I'm not that much fun to be with… That's probably why you considered leaving me in the first place." I rambled, wanting to get this off my chest.

Edward raised his eyebrows in disbelief and shook his head. "You know that that's not true, love. Think of it this way… You want to risk your soul for me… but would you gamble with mine?"

I bit my lip while that was sinking in… I was finally getting his point. "No… I wouldn't do that…" I whispered.

His flawless features were gradually relaxing and he carefully took my face between his smooth hands. "You see my point then… And believe me, the only reason I thought about leaving, was to keep you safe."

"I believe you." I muttered. "It's just… I think your father has a point… I'm not particularly eager for immortality anymore, but dying before I even have a chance to turn, let's say twenty, that's also not my intention…"

Edward nodded, as he gently stroked the sides of my face. "Then keep yourself safe… Tell me to leave and never come back." He said seriously.

"What?" I huffed in annoyance. "If you're waiting for my permission to leave, you should know that it will never _ever_ happen… And for your information, life without you wouldn't be much of a life, so in that case I would rather die at twenty."

He sighed in exasperation. "So stubborn." He mumbled.

"Look who's talking." I shot back at him. "All I'm asking for is to be with you forever, Edward."

I slowly leaned in, and when he didn't stop me I lightly brushed my lips against his. He responded more enthusiastically than I would've expected at this moment, and his lips hungrily moved against mine. It had been too long since I had felt those sweet, icy lips against mine and I sighed in contentment.

Eventually I had to break free for air but he continued to place small kisses all over my face, before moving on to my throat. I knotted my hands in his soft hair, keeping him in place as he kissed his way up and down. His lips were hovering over my pulse point and I firmly stroked through his bronze hair, as if encouraging him.

"Please, Edward." I said inaudibly.

"Please what, love?" He whispered against my skin, clearly distracted from our conversation.

"Bite me…"

He inhaled loudly before leaning back, releasing me. He stared at me for quite a while with his smoldering golden eyes, his expression unreadable.

After a long silence he spoke again. "At least give me one year… Please finish your last year at Forks High." This time he was the one pleading, and my eyes widened in surprise.

Was he really saying…

"You mean after I finish high school, you will…" I trailed off, having trouble to believe it myself.

He looked a little pained. "If you still want it then… If you still want _me_ then… I think I don't have much of a choice, do I? Selfish as I am, I want to keep you… forever."

"I'll always want you." I warned him, throwing my arms around him, holding him in a death grip, even though most likely, he barely felt it. "Do you promise?"

For a short moment he remained silent, but when he answered, he told me exactly what I wanted to hear. "I can't lose you... I promise, Bella. Forever…"

* * *

_Thank you for reading! I promise to upload the last part as soon as I can! :)_


	22. Epilogue

_Hey there, my awesome readers! :D_

_Thank you so much for reviewing; _**J5girl31012, Jm1708, Phantomessangel, Gnomegirl13, AutumnOtts, A. Good, Sprinter1, Lacey, Animal8 **_and _**Lil miss bella cullen**_! :D Seriously, you guys are the best!_

_To Phantomessangel: As soon as I have time I'll make sure to check out that spoof! xD_

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_To Sprinter1: Yay, I love cookies. :D Thank you! :p_

_To Lacey: Thanks! :D And the language that I'm speaking with LoveTeamEdward is Dutch. I'm from the Netherlands, and Dutch is my first language, so yeah... :p_

_Wow, this is the last chapter. :O I can't believe it's over! I've always got these mixed feelings after I've finished a story; I'm sort of sad because it's over, but on the other hand, I'm proud that I managed to succeed in completing it. :p_

_So here it is, the last part, I hope you all like it! :D And stay tuned for my special word of thanks to all of you!_

_Enjoy. :)_

* * *

**Epilogue**

_**One Year Later…**_

My feet were feeling heavy as I walked up to the small house of the Blacks. This wasn't something I had been looking forward to, but it had to be done. I simply couldn't put it off any longer, I was out of time…

I hesitated for a moment before I knocked on the front door. I waited for a few seconds until the door flew open, and a grinning Jacob was standing in front of it. I predicted that his smile would disappear within now and ten minutes…

"Bells! What a surprise, haven't seen you in a while." He exclaimed enthusiastically, giving me a hug that nearly crushed me.

"Hey you." I replied, trying to keep my tone light.

He let go of me and did a small step back in order to look at me, and he frowned. "Are you alright, Bells? Is something wrong?" He asked, sounding concerned.

He knew me too well, he was instantly aware of the fact that I wasn't here to bring good news. Well, not good news to him, anyway. To me it was good news...

"We have to talk, Jake… Is Billy home?" I finally asked.

"No… he's out, fishing with Harry, why?"

I nodded. "That's good, then we can speak freely."

That was enough for Jacob's face to turn from confused to anxious. Alarm bells were probably ringing in his head right now. Since I'd told him we couldn't have any eavesdroppers, he had surely figured out what this had to be about.

I followed Jake to the undersized living room, and he turned off the television and took a seat on the small, shabby couch. I sat down on the chair across from him, trying to keep my expression blank.

"Alright… let's hear it." Jacob encouraged me when I didn't speak right away.

"Alright…" I mumbled, biting my lip. "I'm… I'm not sure how to tell you this, Jake."

Jake raised an eyebrow at me. "Is this about you going to the University of Alaska? Sure, I know that it's not exactly around the corner… But I'm sure we'll find time to visit each other…"

I gave him an apologetic look. "I'm not going to the University of Alaska… That's the story we made up for Charlie's sake…"

Confusion was clear on his face again. "What are you saying, Bells?"

"It's going to happen, Jake… I'm not leaving for Alaska next week, he's going to change me…" I was whispering, as if it would make the words sound a little less horrible to my best friend.

His face turned into a mask of shock, and he gaped at me in disbelief. "You're going to become one of them?! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I'm sorry, okay! I just couldn't do it, I knew how you would react… I didn't have the guts to tell you before… I truly am sorry."

For a moment he only stared at me in silence and I nervously glanced down at my hands.

When I couldn't take the silence anymore, Jake broke it, thankfully. "So basically, what you're saying is… I will never see you again?"

"No… that's not what I'm saying… I'm not saying never… but it might take a year… or two… I can't interact with humans until I learn to control my thirst for blood... And I suppose I will look a little different when you see me again." I muttered my explanation, looking up at him again.

"Yeah, you'll be a bloodsucker." Jacob said gruffly.

"Yes…" I whispered.

The silence returned, and Jake simply stared at me, disbelief still evident in his eyes.

"I'm the only one who knows, right? What will Charlie think?" He asked when he had somewhat composed himself again.

"He will think that Edward and I are studying in Alaska, and we'll make up some excuse if he wants to visit me… We've arranged all the paperwork to make it look realistic…"

"And when you see him again after, let's say, a year? I mean, I'm sure he will notice the change..." Jake pointed out.

I sighed and started to twist and untwist my fingers. "I know, we'll think of a solution to that when the time comes… Maybe we can give him a part of the story, at the very least… But that's a problem for later."

"And you're sure that this is what you want?" Jake pressed, his intense gaze never leaving mine.

"Yes." I said confidently. "All I want is to stay with him, Jake… You know that."

"Then why do you even bother telling me, if you have already made up your mind." He grumbled.

"Because I was hoping that we… Could still be friends, if I see you, you know… after." I admitted.

"Unbelievable… Once again she asks me to become friends with a vampire." He said mockingly, but there seemed to be some genuine humor in his tone this time.

"Not any vampire… Just me." I clarified, giving him a pleading look.

"Well… I guess if you promise that you won't have me for dinner… And if you're still… you… after the change… Maybe you can visit me some time, when you're… ready." Both his tone and expression were indicating that he wasn't too happy about this, but this was already more than I could have ever hoped for. I was feeling relieved and really grateful that he didn't plan on dumping me completely.

"Thank you… Really, this means a lot to me… I have to give up so much as it is…"

"Then don't do it… No one is forcing you." Jake replied. "Wait… he isn't forcing you, is he?" He added in a panicked tone.

I snorted loudly. "No Jake, he would never do that, he isn't too eager on changing me… Some nonsense about taking away my soul… I'm doing this because I will also get a lot in return… And I figured it would be a bit easier if there was a possibility to keep my best friend… So I'm glad that there is."

He gave me a wary smile and shook his head. "My best friend, becoming a vampire… This sounds like a bad movie."

"It does, doesn't it?" I agreed. "But I swear I will be a good vampire… And a good friend… You know I can still write you and call you when I'm a vampire." I reminded him.

His face cleared up a little. "I'll hold you to that."

I smiled at him and got up from the chair, sitting down next to him on the couch and giving him a hug. "Thanks, Jake."

"Yeah yeah… Hmm, I suppose we won't be able to do this for a while." He stated dryly when I released him.

I let out a small laugh and made a face at him. "Guess not, no. We have to think about your safety."

He also laughed shortly, before turning serious again."Yes… But please, Bells, also make sure to take care of yourself…"

I nodded and gently grabbed his hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "Of course Jake… I promise."

xxx

A week had passed since my chat with Jacob, and I was currently in Edward's room, sitting on the oversized bed that was standing in the middle of it. Not only was it oversized, in my opinion it was also unnecessary, as it was rarely used. He had bought it a few months ago, when Alice had wanted me to stay for a sleepover, because he wasn't able to live with the thought of me sleeping on a couch. Silly Edward.

I wasn't supposed to be here; for all Charlie knew I was on my way to Alaska at this very moment… I took a deep breath as I tried not to think about the fact that I wouldn't be able to see my father for at least a year. I wanted this more than anything, I wasn't going to back out now, definitely not. Although I couldn't deny that a part of me was dreading the three days of excruciating pain, I knew that it would be more than worth it, in the end.

Needless to say, Edward had come up with millions of excuses and absurd conditions during the past year, anything to try and stop me from wanting to become a vampire… But I had made my decision, and I was going to stick to it.

The door of the room opened in a gentle movement, and my head snapped up automatically. Edward smiled tentatively at me before he made his way to the bed, sitting down next to me.

"How are you feeling, love?" He asked, placing his hand over mine, rubbing it carefully.

"Fine, actually." I answered, surprised by how calm my voice sounded.

"Not having any second thoughts?"

"No, none at all." I told him truthfully. "You know I want this."

He was quiet for a moment, his eyes, their golden color lighter than ever before, never leaving my face. The light shade of topaz was a result of the hunting trip that he had taken as a precaution. He softly placed his hand against my cheek, and I leaned in to his touch.

"I can't even bear to think about how much this is going to hurt you. If there was any way I could do this without the pain…" He murmured. He nearly looked in pain himself, as if he were the one who would have to go through the torture.

"It's my own choice, Edward… I knew all along that the pain was part of the deal, you shouldn't be the one worrying about that." I assured him.

"That doesn't change anything, seeing you suffer is the most horrible thing in the world to me." Edward disagreed.

I sighed, moving closer to him, and when he realized what I wanted his strong arms lifted me into his lap.

"Look at it this way, when the next three days are over, you will see me the happiest I've ever been, and it will last for all eternity… That ought to count for something, three days is nothing compared to forever." I tried to convince him.

He shrugged. "I still don't like it."

"I can handle it, really." I said, hoping to sound confident.

He gave me another concerned look, and I reached out and gently kissed the tip of his nose, trying to make his sorrow go away, even if it was only for a short moment. I felt him relax a little, and he leaned in, to lightly kiss my lips. My heart was beating frantically, and Edward seemed sad again, all of the sudden.

"I'm going to miss that… The sound of your heart going wild whenever I kiss you." He whispered against my lips.

"Don't worry… I can promise you that the effect you have on me will still be the same, even if you won't be able to hear it anymore."

"I surely hope so." He breathed before softly touching his lips to mine again.

When we both needed some air I settled for capturing him in my arms, resting my head on his shoulder. My hands had a will of their own, and they played with the soft strands of bronze hair on the back of his head.

We sat like that for a while, and I completely lost track of time. I was about to fall asleep when he gently shook me, and placed his lips at my ear.

"Are you ready?" He asked quietly.

I just nodded, not giving my voice a chance to break.

Edward sighed. "Alright then…"

He let go of me and placed me on the bed next to him. I watched him as he got up and headed for the door that led to the bathroom. When he returned he was carrying a glass of water and some small, white pills.

"What are those?" I asked curiously.

"Carlisle brought them from the hospital, some sort of very heavy painkillers… It's worth a try." Edward explained as he handed me the water and the tablets.

"Right." I mumbled.

I took the medicine without thinking too much about it, and after I'd finished the water I handed the empty glass back to him. The thought crossed my mind that this was the last time _ever_ that I would drink or eat something, other than blood at least. He placed the glass on the bedside table, and I gave him a questioning look when he turned back to me.

"It's probably best if you relax." He answered my unspoken question.

He gestured for me to lay down on the bed, and I complied without hesitating. The last thing I wanted him to think was that I _did_ have second thoughts. I rested my head on the pillow and gazed up at him, all the while trying to keep my breathing even. At least the painkillers were having some effect, I started to feel drowsy.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, slowly shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm going to hurt you like this."

"Just do it, Edward… You know it's what I want… You know it's the only option if we want to stay together." I encouraged him.

"I know…"

He reached out one of his icy hands and softly stroked my cheek, down to my jaw and moving on to my throat. I was holding my breath as he started to lean in while he kept softly brushing the back of his hand along my face.

"I'm sorry for doing this…" He murmured as he hovered over me.

"Don't be…" I said, my voice shaking at this point. "I'll be fine, and when I wake up, forever starts… We'll have eternity in front of us."

He pressed one last kiss against my lips, and his beautiful eyes were filled with determination this time. "In that case… I guess I will see you again at forever." He whispered before his lips returned to my skin.

He slowly kissed a trail from my mouth to my jaw, and continued his way down to my throat. When he reached my pulse point, his lips stopped moving, and my heart was threatening to jump out.

"Please forgive me… I love you, Bella… Forever."

My scream was inevitable when his razor-sharp teeth made contact with the soft skin of my throat, and after the short, stinging pain had stopped, the painful burning started.

I would have to endure it though, and I _could_ handle it… Because after spending three days in agony, the only thing left would be me, Edward and the promise of _forever_.

* * *

_I was stained, with a role, in a day not my own  
But as you walked into my life, you showed what needed to be shown  
And I always knew, what was right  
I just didn't know that I might  
Peel away and choose to see with such a different sight  
_

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high, cause I've seen, cause I've seen, twilight  
_

_Never cared, never wanted  
Never sought to see what flaunted  
So on purpose, so in my face  
Couldn't see beyond my own place  
And it was so easy not to behold, what I could hold  
But you taught me, I could change, whatever came within these shallow days  
_

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high, cause I've seen, cause I've seen...  
_

_As the sun shines through, it pushes away and pushes ahead  
It fills the warmth of blue and leaves a chill instead and  
I didn't know that I could be so blind to all that is so real  
But as illusion dies I see there is so much to be revealed  
_

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high, cause I've seen, cause I've seen, twilight  
_

_I was stained, by a role, in a day not my own  
But as you walked into my life, you showed what needed to be shown  
And I always knew, what was right  
I just didn't know that I might  
Peel away and choose to see with such a different sight  
_

_And I will never see the sky the same way and  
I will learn to say good-bye to yesterday and  
I will never cease to fly if held down and  
I will always reach too high, cause I've seen, cause I've seen, twilight..._

_**Twilight lyrics by Vanessa Carlton from the album 'Be Not Nobody'.**_

* * *

_And this, my dear children, is how Bella's change should've happened. No buckets of blood, no guts flying around, no mutant-vampire-baby eating its way out of her stomach. Sorry to those of you who think Renesmee is the best invention since chocolate ice-cream, but I am denying her existence. Edward is dead, which means his sperm is dead, therefore he can't produce babies. Period. The end. Amen. I don't care about any supposedly brilliant explanations that Mrs. Meyer came up with, this is how I see it. xD_

_So this is really the end. :( I do feel a little sad now. *Sad face*_

_But enough with the sentimental nonsense, thank you all so much! :D Special thanks to all of my reviewers of course, thank you for taking the time to write all those reviews, I truly appreciate it! Reviews are such a great motivation to keep writing, and you have all been an amazing support to me! You guys rock my world. :D_

_Also a big thank you to all my other readers, for taking the time to even read this in the first place!_

_Since I can't survive very long without writing something, anything at all, I'll probably start writing a new story. xD Don't expect it to be some sort of masterpiece this time, though, I've had a couple of tiring months and to be honest, what I really need right now is to write something mindless. But we'll see. xD_

_Take care, all of you! See you at another story! :)_

_X Shirley_


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